Guardian Angel
by Haruka-Chan 212
Summary: Michiru thinks all is lost until Haruka saves her. Soon after she realizes she's not the only one in need of saving. Rated for subject matter. Chapter 21 is up! Please R
1. Chapter 1

If you're reading this, then it's nearly complete. Yes...I'm nearly finished a story. You'll be looking for approximately 25-30 chapters. This will easily break my last record. I felt this couldn't wait until it was finished to be posted.

If you have ANY issues against the LGBT community, I don't suggest reading this story.

Also, any flames received will be deliberately ignored, so don't bother saying anything bad about this story or it's topic. If you don't like it, then just don't read it...

I can't guarantee there will be often updates as I work full time and go to college full time, but I will try to provide a new chapter at least once a week. I barely have enough time to sleep let alone have to myself. Most of my writing is done by hand, during my classes.

One more thing...I haven't proofread this, so don't mind any spelling/grammar errors...I found it was too hard to read through this once I had it typed...

Anyway...Enough about me, on with the story. Please don't forget to review, I love reading your comments.

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 1

Everything seemed to be fine. Everything in her life was wonderful. Until the day she was married to Takada. Michiru had run the perfect life until she tied the knot. She was a successful musician and established artist. Until he forced her to give it all up. He only wished that she stay home all day, becoming a homebody.

"Michiru, where the hell are you? Why isn't my dinner ready!? You know when I get home from work I just want my food and my newspaper. You can't do anything right can you?"

It was the same thing nearly every day when it came to him. She loved him dearly and would do anything for him. She gave up her entire life for him. During the day she would pull out her easel and paints from storage and work on her art. It was the only time she had alone, the only time he wouldn't yell at her for doing something for herself.

She jumped when he heard his voice and finally came back to her senses. She had been working on a painting in the office. She scampered to put all of her paints away before he came to the room, but to no avail.

"What the fuck is this? I thought I told you not to do this shit anymore!" He made his way toward her, pushed her off of her chair and grabbed the canvas, not even hesitating to break it in half. "I want all those things out of here by tomorrow do you hear me?" Before leaving the room he picked up her easel and threw it against the wall, it braking into a few pieces in the process.

She frowned as she watched him do his work. "But what am I suppose to do during the day Takada?"

"Clean the house like a good little bitch. That's what you're supposed to do." He looked around the nearly spotless study. "Look at this place. It's a fucking mess. You're useless you know that? Why don't you get off your ass and clean this pig sty?"

At least he didn't strike her this time. She had become accustomed to the feel of his hand body. He was always careful when it came to her face. Nobody else could know about what happened between them. She sighed softly and started cleaning up the spilled paint from the hard wood floor. She would deal with the broken canvas and easel later; the paint had to be wiped up before it dried.

"Michiru I'm hungry!" She jumped when she heard him yell from the kitchen.

She quickly finished before getting up and hurrying to the kitchen. "What would you like for dinner honey?"

"Don't try to butter up to me by calling me honey. And I don't care." He sat down at the table and opened up the paper.

She sighed and hurried to finish a stir fry for him. After making a plate for him and herself she sat at the table. "I'm sorry I'm late with dinner." She picked up her fork to start eating, he did the same.

"This is disgusting, but it's better than nothing, which is apparently what you wanted for tonight." He slowly picked at the meal.

"No it's not…I just got so caught up in my art…"

"That's why I don't want you to do it. Because nothing else will get done." She sighed and looked down at the table. There was no talking to him. She knew he loved her; he just had a different way of showing it.

It was the only love she knew. She was told while she was growing up that everything she read in books and saw in movies was false. She recalled the countless times that she sat in the corner as her parents fought. There were no fond memories of what her father had done. The numerous times he beat her until she passed out. The numerous times he would strike her for screaming and begging him to stop. She took a deep breath to fight back the tears that started coming to her eyes. She knew that she wouldn't exactly cry, she had no more tears left, but the feeling still surfaced.

"Now you won't even talk to me?" He didn't even look up from his paper.

"I'm sorry…I had food in my mouth."

"Stop making excuses."

"How was your day?" She watched him closely.

"It's about time you asked me that. It was horrible, my damn phone wouldn't stop ringing. Each person complaining so much."

"About what?"

"You know damn well I can't talk about my clients."

"It was just a question…I'm sorry."

"Sorry…sorry…you're always sorry. Why don't you just clean up and leave me alone?"

Michiru sighed, but didn't move from her seat, she was hungry and wanted to finish her meal. "Can I finish eating first?"

"No." He finally looked at her. "I said clean it up now. Besides you're starting to gain weight, you don't need to eat that much."

She sighed and stood from her chair. He was right; lately she had been gaining weight around her mid section. She scraped the remaining food into the garbage bin before rinsing it to put in the dish washer. "Are you done love?" She looked at him and he nodded. She didn't say anything as she picked up his plate to repeat the same process. While she was bent over the dishwasher she felt his hips press against the back of hers. "What are you doing?" A slight shiver went up her spine; she already knew what he had in mind for them that evening.

"Come with me."

She winced when he grabbed her wrist, his fingernails dug into her skin. She knew what was coming; he was never gentle with her when they made love. He always tied her tightly to the bed and would often choke her until she obediently did everything he wanted her to do.

"Takada…please no." The back of his hand connected with her cheek, causing her to fall to the bed with a wince. Whenever he hit her face in this manner, it never left a mark.

"Shut up and do what a wife's suppose to." He stepped in front of her and unzipped his pants…


	2. Chapter 2

If you're reading this, then it's nearly complete. Yes...I'm nearly finished a story. You'll be looking for approximately 25-30 chapters. This will easily break my last record. I felt this couldn't wait until it was finished to be posted.

If you have ANY issues against the LGBT community, I don't suggest reading this story.

Also, any flames received will be deliberately ignored, so don't bother saying anything bad about this story or it's topic. If you don't like it, then just don't read it...

I can't guarantee there will be often updates as I work full time and go to college full time, but I will try to provide a new chapter at least once a week. I barely have enough time to sleep let alone have to myself. Most of my writing is done by hand, during my classes.

One more thing...I haven't proofread this, so don't mind any spelling/grammar errors...I found it was too hard to read through this once I had it typed...

Anyway...Enough about me, on with the story. Please don't forget to review, I love reading your comments.

OK people...what the hell...........113 hits and only 1 review, you don't know how tempted I was to hold off posting the next chapter...you should consider yourselves lucky...

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 2

The following morning when Michiru woke up Takada had already gone to work. She carefully pulled herself from the bed and went into the bathroom. When she closed the door she examined herself in the full length mirror to see what damage had been done the night before. Her hair was a mess from him pulling and tugging on it, there was a slight red mark on her cheek from the back of his hand. She tilted her head upwards to look at the light bruise around her neck from where his fingers pressed as he held her down by her throat. A sigh left her lips as she examined the hand shaped bruises on both of her breasts as well as on the inside of her thighs. Her hips were sore from how he was holding her the night before. She was always sore the day after they made love. He would hold her in awkward positions, to satisfy his desires, until he was finished with her. Then he wouldn't kiss her or even hold her, he just rolled away and went to sleep.

Before they were married he would often hold her after their love making and he would also be more considerate of what was painful to her. Now, he simply calls her his property and he can treat her however he wishes. She knew that it changed once there was a wedding band on their finger.

She ran a brush through her hair before using the toilet, she frowned when she finished. She was over three weeks late for her period. She hadn't figured out how to tell Takada yet. She had no idea how he would react to the possibility of being pregnant. After she showered and got dressed she thumbed through Takada's rolodex to find the phone number to her doctor. She had to find out for herself before she said anything to him about it.

"There it is." She spoke aloud to nobody as her hand reached for the phone.

"Dr. Yamamoto's office, this is Ayame. How can I help you today?"

"I was hoping I could get in for an appointment today?" Michiru could hear the receptionist typing on a computer on the other side of the phone.

"And what's your name?"

"Michiru Kaiou-Sato"

"Alright, we do have openings for this afternoon. And what seems to be the problem today Mrs. Kaiou-Sato"

Michiru blushed as the words came through her lips. "I think I might be pregnant. I'd just like to see the doctor to make sure. I'm more than three weeks late for my cycle."

"Alright, would 1 PM be a good time for you ma'am?"

"That's perfect, that will give me plenty of time to get home before my husband does."

They bid their farewells and Michiru placed the phone back on the receiver. She still had to clean up the mess that she had caused yesterday. Sure enough the broken board still sat on the floor, as did pieces of wood from the stand. She worked to gather up the larger pieces before going to get a broom and dust pan for the smaller slivers of wood. At least she still had her violin in storage to keep her mind occupied during the day. She tossed each of the pieces of debris into a large trash bag then slid on her slippers to take it out to the trash can.

She made herself a small breakfast before digging through the freezer to pull something out to make for supper that evening. Her eyes glanced at the clock and saw she still had two hours before she had to leave for the bus station to make it to the doctor's office in time. She sighed softly and looked around for something to do in order to keep her mind occupied for the duration of that time period.

Before she left she went into her bathroom to apply makeup; expertly covering up the light red mark on her cheek, as well as the bruising on her neck. She had a lot of experience with covering them up. Each time she and Takada would go out to one of his employee dinners he would have her put makeup on each of the visible marks. He always told her that what happened in their home, needed to stay in their home.

She left about noon, walking down to the corner to catch the bus. She had done this often throughout her marriage with Takada. He didn't trust her with a car but he did allow her to have a bus pass in case she needed to go anywhere throughout the day. She had started memorizing the schedule as well as the routes of each of the busses. She presented her bus pass to the driver and moved to take a seat near the front.

Twenty minutes later she pulled the cord that hung above her head in order to get off; when the bus came to a complete stop at the curb she disembarked and walked the remaining four blocks on her own. Temptation overtook her as she passed a tiny coffee shop on the corner before she reached the doctor's office. She walked inside and made her way to the counter.

"Yes ma'am." A young gentleman smiled politely at her, almost in a flirting manner.

"Just a small green tea please." She reached into her purse for money, the diamond ring on her finger glimmering in the light, his eyes landed on it and he quickly changed his tone from flirting to more professional.

"I should have known a pretty woman like you would be married." Michiru simply blushed and smiled at him. He turned away to fill her order.

Beautiful…Takada never called her beautiful anymore. She hasn't heard anybody call her that in nearly a year. The last time he ever called her beautiful was on the night of their wedding. That was the last time he was ever cordial to her. The nicest things he would ever say now were 'thank you,' she'd be blessed whenever he would call her 'hun.'

When the clerk returned to the counter with her tea she paid him and bid him farewell. She walked into the doctor's office and approached the desk.

"Name?" The receptionist looked up at her and smiled.

"Michiru Kaiou-Sato…" She took a sip of her tea and pulled her medical card from her purse to show it to the woman on the other side of the counter.

"Alright, the doctor will be right with you, please take a seat." Michiru nodded and turned to look at a few other men and women idly flipping through magazines and waiting for their name to be called. She picked a seat in the corner and sat down silently. She reached for a magazine from the table and slowly flipped through it.

It seemed like an eternity before a nurse came through the door and called Michiru's name. She grabbed her purse and tossed the magazine on the table.

"So you think you may be pregnant?" the nurse smiled at her as she led Michiru into a room. "I'm going to need you to sit up on the table please." Michiru obeyed her and watched the nurse grab the blood pressure belt to put around her arm. "What are these?" The nurse frowned and looked up at the other woman.

Michiru blushed and looked down. "My husband and I…we…well…"

The nurse giggled. "A little rough?" She smiled when Michiru nodded. "As long as it was welcomed, that's what matters right?" Again Michiru nodded, finally returning the nurse's smile. "Alright, just relax your arm so I can get an accurate reading." After she flipped the machine on, she waited until the monitor was finished its test and looked at Michiru. "135 over 80…your blood pressure's a little high. But that's probably because you're nervous about what the doctor will say." The nurse asked Michiru a few more questions before leaving the room.

She sighed and tapped her fingers on the edge of the table waiting for the doctor to come in the room. She reached out to grab her green tea. Her hands were shaking, she was truly afraid of what the doctor would tell her. She was even more frightened of how Takada would react. Would she receive another beating? Or would he be happy about it? Maybe he would treat her the same way as he did before they were married.

"Good afternoon Michiru. It's nice to see you again. How are you doing today?" Dr. Yamamoto walked through the doorway. Michiru jumped at the sound of the doctor, her cup of tea landed on the floor. "Jumpy I see. What are we nervous about?"

"I'm more than three weeks late…"

"Oh, sounds like you may be pregnant than doesn't it?" She dug through a drawer and pulled out a small sterile bag. "Follow me please."

"What about the mess?" Michiru climbed off of the examination table, careful not to step in the spilt tea.

"Don't worry about it; I'll have a nurse clean it up."

Michiru followed the doctor out of the room and toward the bathroom near the lab area. She took the cup from her and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later she emerged and set the cup on the counter.

The doctor frowned when she noticed the bruises on her wrist. "Where did that come from?"

Again Michiru blushed, this time she quickly pulled her sleeve down to cover it. "My husband and I get a little rough sometimes."

"Are you sure? Has he ever hit you?"

She shook her head in response. She had become accustomed to lying for his actions. If she didn't than he would be liable to hit her again. "No, he's never laid a hand on me."

The doctor continued to speak as she worked on the test. "What about that bruise on your neck than?"

"From making love last night. I told you we get a little rough." Michiru was quick with her answer.

"If he ever hits you, you need to tell someone. It is against the law." She gently shook the test tube; it quickly turned a pale blue color. She smiled. "You're pregnant Michiru…congratulations." A huge smile came to Michiru's face. "I'd like to get you scheduled for a sonogram. Go and speak with one of the receptionists. Then you're free to go."

Michiru shook the doctor's hand before going out and scheduling an appointment for the next day. She took the paper that had the address on it and left. Yet, she was still petrified as to how Takada would react…

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If you made it this far, don't forget to review...I want more then one review for this chapter this time...please


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a few days...sorry...Holidays and such. Please enjoy...don't forget your reviews.

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 3

She took a deep breath as she looked at her watch. Takada should be home at any moment now. After taking one more look at the set table and expertly prepared meal she headed upstairs to put on one of her nice dresses.

"Michiru…what's this?"

She ran down the steps and hugged him tightly, only to be shoved away. Again he repeated his question. "I wanted tonight to be special."

He frowned and put down his jacket. "Why? What did you do that you have to make up for?"

She sighed, in an attempt to calm herself. "I'm pregnant."

"What?" He stared blankly at her.

"I…I'm pregnant Takada." She repeated this time more cautious then the first.

His response shocked her. He actually smiled and hugged her tightly. "This is wonderful!"

"I went to the doctor's today because I was more than three weeks late for my period. I just wanted to make sure before I told you about it. Are…are you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, I've always dreamed of having a son to play baseball with."

"What if it's a little girl?"

He only laughed at her. "Are you really that stupid? If we find out it's a girl you're getting an abortion."

She frowned at him. She was truly hoping that it would be a girl she would have. "I want a girl though..."

He laughed again, this time louder than the first. "You're funny. You really are. Do you know that? How could you be that stupid to think we'd bring another useless woman into this world? I won't allow it."

She sighed and sat down at the table to eat. She knew he wasn't lying to her when he said she'd have to get an abortion. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that if she didn't get one, he'd make her lose the baby.

"The doctor asked me about my bruises..." Her eyes never left her plate of food.

"What did you tell them?"

"That we just get a little rough when making love."

"Good girl. I told you before that they don't need to know what happens when we walk into this house."

"She told me that if you hit me it's illegal." She finally raised her eyes to meet his. "Takada, why do you hit me?"

He stood from his chair in such a manner that it toppled to the floor. Before he responded he moved around the table and backhanded her. "Because you ask stupid questions, that's why!" He shoved his plate off the table. Food splattered to the floor as well as part of the counter top. "Clean it up! And I think you can sleep on the floor tonight." He grumbled as he stomped from the kitchen.

Michiru sniffled slightly as she lightly touched her cheek. He hadn't struck her like that in a long time. He was always very careful to never hit her hard enough to leave a mark. She knew she may end up with a slight bruise in the morning though. She stood from her chair and grabbed a rag to clean up the fallen food.

------

_An hour passes_

"I thought I told you you're sleeping on the floor. I don't want your filth near me. Not after what you did earlier."

She sighed and pulled her pillow from the bed and walked from the room. Part of her was hoping that he would calm down after his fit in the kitchen an hour prior. Apparently he hadn't relaxed any. She took a comforter from the hall closet and laid across the floor in the living room. She considered the sofa, but knew that if he caught her there would be hell to pay. After pulling the blanket around her chin she closed her eyes and tried to relax.

Her body always hated these nights, but it was better than having him push her off of the bed. A few times she had hit her head on the nightstand when he had done that. He refused to take her to the hospital to get stitches or to check for a concussion.

Finally sleep overtook her.

She awoke the next morning to a cup of water being poured on her face. "Get up you stupid bitch. How dare you oversleep? I am hungry you know. You expect me to stop at some low life, rat infested dinner for breakfast?"

Michiru grumbled softly and wiped the water from her face. At least he didn't kick her like he had done in the past. It was probably due to the fact that she was pregnant. She threw the blankets aside and stood up slowly only to receive a punch in her lower back. "Hurry up! You're going to make me late."

She wanted to yell at him in return, but knew that it would only lead to another insult, or worse, another blow to her body. Quietly she walked into the kitchen and made him up some eggs and toast. She watched him make a sandwich out of the combination and practically run out the door.

_"You're going to make me late you stupid fucking bitch." My father shoved my mother into the kitchen and forced her to make him something. "Any you shut the fuck up you little brat." I could only scream more as his strong hand came across my face._

_"Don't touch her she can't help it." It turned out to be a huge mistake on her part. He turned around and punched her. I begged him to stop but he didn't. He didn't stop until she stopped moving, until she stopped begging him. I remember going silent as I watch her breath stop completely. It was the last time I saw my mother. It was the last memory I have of her alive._

_Luckily the neighbors had called the police after they had heard my screaming. If they hadn't taken that step I may not even be here now to be going through the same thing as my mother did. My grandmother never went through this. Did she? I don't remember her ever remember seeing any bruises on her. I don't remember granddad ever yelling at her. I don't remember him ever touching her._

"Of course she did Michiru…everybody goes through this." She spoke aloud to nobody and washed up the few dishes she had dirtied. "All husbands do this to their wives…its normal." She sighed and went upstairs to take a shower before her sonogram appointment.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter was VERY hard for me to write...I found myself skipping it and I got all the way up to chapter 14 before I was able to finish this one...lol...

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 4

Michiru returned from her appointment after three hours, a smile plastered on her face. The doctor told her that she was 6 weeks pregnant. She was also given information about eating healthier and how to exercise to keep both herself and her baby healthy. She hummed softly as she proceeded to make up chicken salads for dinner that night. Her next appointment was set up for three months down the road. At that time she'd find out whether or not it was going to be a boy or a girl. Most of her was hoping it was a girl, but on the flip side she knew that Takada would hate her for having a girl.

"Hello handsome." Michiru smiled as she peered around the corner as her husband walked through the front door. He didn't respond to her as he took off his jacket and slipped off his shoes. "Are you alright?" He approached her and backhanded her. "What did I do?"

He never answered her as he beat her until she passed out. He had only done this once before and it was because he was reprimanded at his job for being late. He blamed her for it.

Michiru awoke after a few hours when her stomach churned. She pulled herself to her feet and slowly made her way into the downstairs bathroom.

"What the hell are you doing?" Takada pounded on the closed door before jiggling the locked handle. "Open up you stupid bitch!" Once again he tried to turn the handle. His blood boiled when he heard the woman on the other side let out a loud gagging noise. "Why can't you grow up? You can control the nausea if you just try to. You need to hurry up I'm getting hungry!"

Food was the last thing she wanted at that moment in time. All she wanted to do was curl up on the floor and allow herself to fall asleep. But she knew that couldn't happen. She couldn't allow herself to fall asleep.

She took a deep breath to keep down the bubbles that were gurgling in her throat as she stood up. "I'm coming Takada. What would you like for dinner?" She sighed when he only huffed and sat at the table. "How about salads?" She watched him, his eyes finally met hers.

"Are you really that stupid? Do I look like a fucking rabbit you fat little pig? I'm not the one that has to watch their weight, you are. I don't give a shit if you're pregnant; I'm not going to be married to an oinker. I want a steak, and you can eat a salad, do you understand me?"

She nodded and proceeded to make their separate meals. Once he would leave for work in the morning; however, she'd be able to get something more to eat. She would just have to wait until that time.

-----

Michiru frowned as she looked at Takada. He knew she had visited the doctor today. It's been just about three months since she first discovered her pregnancy. She wanted nothing more then to lie to him and tell him she was having the boy that he wanted.

"And what are you having?" He stpped closer to her as she backed away.

"They weren't sure yet..."

"Don't lie to me!" he raised his hand to strike her across the cheek.

She gasped and gripped her cheek in pain. "I want to keep it. They told me it's a girl."

"You stupid whore, did you tell them you wanted an abortion?" Michiru shook her head. "Either you make an appointment to get one or I'll make sure you lose that baby." He shoved her into the wall to make sure she understood that he was serious. "I want proof that you got one done. You have until Friday..." He turned and walked away from her.

-Friday Afternoon-

Michiru bit her lip as she watched Takada's car pull into the driveway. She had spent the past two days trying to get in touch with several clinics around Tokyo. Each of them was booked through next week.

"I want to see your release slip." He shouted as he walked through the front door.

"I couldn't get in for an appointment."

"Don't fucking lie to me." He started to climb the steps to get to her.

"I'm not lying to you. I called all of them, they were all booked through next week."

"Why do you continue to lie to me?" he grabbed her hair and slammed her against the wall.

"Call them then." She fought back.

"It wasn't my responsibility to call them. I don't believe you that all of them were completely booked up. How many other little whores are there in this city?"

"Takada you're hurting me!" she shouted as he pulled on her hair.

"Good, I have to show you how wrong you are." He easily overpowered her as he flung her toward the staircase. She reached blindly for the railing but couldn't get a solid grip as she fell. Her vision went black before she landed at the bottom.

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OK...A lot of you were asking "Where's Haruka?" So here's a small preview of the next chapter:

_The man didn't reply as he stood up from his seat. "Suoh take a break, look over your music, I'll be right back." He hurried up the walkway and out into the lobby area. He nearly stopped in his tracks when his eyes landed on her. She was just as gorgeous as he remembered. "Michiru…it's been a while." He approached her with a smile on his face._

_She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side. She thought for a moment before her eyes went wide. "Haruka! Oh my god it's been forever!" She stood up to hug him. "You haven't changed a bit. I didn't know you were the conductor of the orchestra, you've moved up a little bit in 6 years."_

That's all you're getting...you little mooches...don't forget to review :)


	5. Chapter 5

I hope you're all prepared for a shock...Enjoy.

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 5

_One Month Later_

Michiru idly thumbed through the paper. She was still heartbroken over her recent loss. Her arm still ached from the fall, but nothing could compare to the tear in her heart. Never before had she been more excited for something. She didn't even feel the same joy on her wedding day and following honeymoon.

She sniffled slightly and allowed her eyes to focus on the page she had landed on:

Open Auditions: Tokyo Symphony  
Violin, Clarinet, Flute  
Other musicians are asked to participate as well  
Monday 8AM – 2PM

She tilted her head and read the words over again, just to make sure she saw it correctly. That would be perfect for her. Surely she would be able to get home before Takada. And surely all of the rehearsals would be during the day. But the time there was a show hopefully Takada would have relaxed about her doing something with her life.

For the first time in over three weeks a smile came to her face. She folded up the paper before going into the study to practice her violin.

She spent the entire weekend practicing her pieces. She refined her techniques and movements and each note was perfect in pitch and tune by the end of it. She knew it had been awhile since she had played professionally, but she had a reputation to uphold. She knew that everything would have to be flawless and perfect.

When Monday morning came she made sure Takada had his meal as well as his packed lunch. She watched him walk out the front door and waited until she heard the garage door open, followed by the sound of his tires rolling across the gravel driveway. She peeked out the window after a few seconds to make sure he was out of sight before running upstairs to grab her violin case.

--

"This is turning out to be hopeless Itachi." The tall blonde man glanced at his watch. "At least it's almost over." He sighed. "Thank you, we'll let you know!" He spoke without even looking at the man on stage with his violin. "We're never going to find someone to fill that seat."

"We've still got a few people left to come through, Kana closed off the front doors to make sure nobody else can come in. You really don't want this to go on all day do you?" He chuckled when the blonde man shook his head. "That's what I thought sir."

The man rubbed his forehead, his ears starting to block out most of what these sad excuses for musicians were playing. Perhaps he should have posted a requirement for the auditions. A piece only someone who knew how to play well would be able to handle, because some people didn't seem to understand that even though you own an instrument, does not mean you can play it. He thumbed through some of his notes as the next to last person walked onto the stage.

"Name?"

"Suoh Yamamoto." The man on stage replied happily and quickly began playing his violin.

He covered his mouth as he leaned over to Itachi. "Yet another hopeful one. I'm going to need a beer after this, care to join me?" The older man chuckled and wrote down some notes of the musician's playing.

"I'm sorry miss the auditions are closed." Kana looked up at Michiru as she slowly walked through the door.

"But it's only 1:40, I still have twenty minutes left. The bus schedule was thrown off because of a car accident on the throughway."

"Conductor's orders to close the doors at 1:30. Apparently he was getting very frustrated about the turnout of people." She folded up her newspaper and looked at the aqua haired woman before her.

Michiru grit her teeth, she always hated using her former fame to get her something, but this time she was willing to make an exception. This was something she had to do. "Well then, let your little boss know that Michiru Kaiou is waiting for her opportunity to impress him."

She raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Michiru could feel her blood begin to boil. "You must not be very familiar with the music industry then. What are you, just a ticket clerk or something? Go and tell him that, if he's anybody important, he'll let me come in."

Kana sighed, she really wasn't in the mood to fight with this woman. "Fine. Take a seat and I'll go see what he says." She stood up and walked into the auditorium and down to where he was seated. "There's a woman by the name of…shoot…it was something Kaiou, she said if I told you, you'd let her come in."

"Michiru Kaiou? No…that can't be. Are you sure?" He looked up at her.

"Michiru, I think that's what she said her name was. What's so important about her?"

The man didn't reply as he stood up from his seat. "Suoh take a break, look over your music, I'll be right back." He hurried up the walkway and out into the lobby area. He nearly stopped in his tracks when his eyes landed on her. She was just as gorgeous as he remembered. "Michiru…it's been a while." He approached her with a smile on his face.

She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side. She thought for a moment before her eyes went wide. "Haruka! Oh my god it's been forever!" She stood up to hug him. "You haven't changed a bit. I didn't know you were the conductor of the orchestra, you've moved up a little bit in 6 years."

He smiled and returned her hug. "I didn't believe when Kana said you were out here. So…what sparked this mysterious comeback?"

She only shook her head. She wasn't ready to talk about it to anybody yet. "I'll have to tell you another time. So…will you give me a chance? I know I'm a little rusty, but otherwise still in shape."

He grinned. "As long as you promise not to disappoint me like everybody else has."

"I promise. But only if you'll give me a chance to prove that I still have it."

"Of course, come on." He allowed his hand to barely touch her back and frowned when he noticed her jump and pull away from him. "Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine, it just startled me is all." She glanced up at the clock on the wall and prayed silently that she'd be able to make it back to her house before Takada returned from work. "Do you think we could try to make this quick? I need to make sure I'm home before my husband." Her husband, he's the reason she quit all those years ago. He's the reason she gave up what she loved. He's the reason she can't relax and take her time. "I need to get home before Takada does. He doesn't know I'm here."

Haruka frowned at the smaller woman. "We still have three more people to go, it shouldn't take that long. And if you'd like I can give you a ride home afterwards. What time does he normally get home from work?"

"About 4:30. I couldn't ask that of you, I'll just take the bus." She looked down at her feet.

"No, it's no problem. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble with your hubby." He sat back down in his chair and allowed Michiru to sit beside him. "Just relax, we'll have you home in plenty of time."

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I don't want to hear anything about "Haruka's not a man!" You'll find out later why I'm talking about her as a he, just be patient


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry this has taken so long to get posted...I didn't forget about it...I've just had SO much going on in my life. Fights with Pam, getting my hours cut at work, failing two classes...that kind of thing...Anyway, things are going better now so I'm going to try and be more consistant with posting this.

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 6

Haruka glanced at his once dear friend when he pulled into the driveway of her home. "You don't remember do you?"

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Nevermind. Do you need a ride to practice tomorrow morning; I can swing by and pick you up. I only live 2 miles from here."

Michiru smiled at him and nodded. "Takada leaves at 8:30, so can you pick me up at 9?"

"Yea, maybe we can get some breakfast before we head in." Haruka smiled and glanced at the smaller woman in his car.

"I'd like that. I'll see if I can find some money." Michiru reached for the door handle, but tensed slightly when he touched her shoulder.

"Maybe we can talk some too. Here…" He reached over and pulled a piece of paper from the glove compartment.

Michiru shivered when she caught a whiff of his cologne. She couldn't remember the last time she felt that urge. Yes…Yes she could…before her and Takada married. She watched the blonde's muscular hand scribble some numbers on a piece of paper.

"If you need anything…anything at all, call me. I don't care what time it is, call me." He smiled as she took the piece of paper from him and stepped from the car.

When she got inside, she buried the piece of paper in the bottom of her purse. If Takada were to find it he'd beat her. He would never approve of her having a friend, let alone a male friend.

_What's wrong with me?_ She rubbed her forehead before going into the kitchen to make dinner. _He's so much different then I remember him. I can't quite lay my finger on it thought…I wish I could remember him from so long ago. The only thing I remember is that he always flirted with me. Yet, for some reason I remember telling him that I was straight. I can't remember why though. Perhaps there was one too many blows to the head from Takada._

Again she sighed. Haruka had always treated her as if she were a queen. The same way Takada treated her before she took his last name. A treatment she longed for again.

She took a deep breath as she heard his car pull up. Hopefully he had had a good day at work. When there was a knock at the door she frowned. Why would he knock when he has a key? She moved the pot of water off of the burner and went to the front door. Her heart jumped when she found Haruka standing there.

"You left this in my car, thought you might want to practice tonight." He frowned when he noticed her worried look. "Are you alright?"

"You have to get out of here before Takada gets home." She ran back inside to take the violin to her study to hide it.

Haruka stepped off the porch to return to his car when he saw a sleek black car pull in behind his. He saw Takada climb out and walk to the other vehicle.

"Who are you, and why are you in my driveway?" He turned to face Haruka, a frown on his face.

"I just had to return something to Michiru. If you back your car up some, I'll gladly leave."

"Why should I have to move my car to let someone out who's not even suppose to be here? How do you know Michiru?"

"From a long time ago, when she played her violin. I used to help write her music." Haruka folded his arms over his chest and looked the other man in the eyes.

"Well considering it's been over 5 years since I've allowed her to play. How do you even know where we live? Wait…don't answer that…I'll just get it out of her." He walked away from the blonde and into the house. He popped his head back out the doorway. "If you don't get out of here in five minutes, I'm calling the police to have you arrested."

Listening to the man's attitude toward him and how he talked about Michiru, it all made sense. The jumpiness when he placed his hand on her shoulder, her tenseness when he grabbed her wrist and the bruises that covered them. It all made sense to him now. He frowned when he looked at the small gap he was left with to get out of the driveway.

Takada slammed the front door behind him and allowed his briefcase to fall to the floor. "Michiru! Explain to me why you had some man in MY house without my knowledge!" He didn't give her a chance to respond before he backhanded her. "How dare you even think that I wouldn't find out?! You're nothing but a fucking whore."

"Takada, nothing happened!"

"Does it look like I care? I should kill you for this!" he hit her again, this time knocking her to the floor. "What was it that he returned to you? How does he know where we live?"

"He brought back a bag of groceries I left in his car. I ran into him at the store and he offered me a ride home." She was quick with her lie.

"Bull shit Michiru. Why don't you just tell me that you were fucking him? I know that's why he was really here. Because you're nothing but a dumb slut."

"Even if I was fucking him, he treats me better then you do Takada." She frowned when the words left her mouth. It was what she'd wanted to say for so long, but never had the courage to.

This was a mistake though. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her into the kitchen. Takada easily overpowered the smaller woman. "How dare you talk to me like that! Let's see how you like this." He picked up the pot of boiling water from the stove.

Haruka slammed on the brakes when he heard Michiru's scream come from inside the house. He quickly put his car into park and ran up to the front door which, thankfully, was still unlocked. He ran toward the sound of sobs and gasped at the sight before him.

Michiru lay curled up on the kitchen floor, her clothes covered in water. Takada stood over her, unaware of the visitor in the room, he continued to strike the nearly unconscious woman with the empty pot.

"Leave her alone." Haruka grabbed the steel pot from Takada's hand before he had a chance to swing it again. Before Takada realized what was happening, he felt the side of the pot come across his jaw, knocking him out. "Bet you feel like a man now, huh?" He dropped the item and focused his attention on the bleeding and badly burned woman at his feet. "Don't worry Michiru, we'll get you to a hospital." He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called for the police as well as an ambulance. "Stay with me Michiru. Help is on the way."


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, I know I've been full of excuses with stories. This one's legit though...I promise. My laptop died, which had my story on it. I've moved since starting this story. And now I'm recently going through a breakup. Yes, my love of three and a half years has left.

Anyway...after much searching and whatnot, I've found this buried in my sent mailbox on hotmail. I've got up to chapter 13 as of now. And I've found hard copies of later on chapters, so I've got to fill in the gap between what I've got on the computer, and what I've got on paper. Enjoy.

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 7

Haruka easily passed himself off as Michiru's brother in order to remain informed of the progress of Michiru's surgery. During the ambulance ride to the hospital, Haruka listened to the paramedics as they radioed in about Michiru's condition. He watched as they had to cut the bloody clothing off of her badly burned skin. He couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the sight before him. He knew that spousal abuse happened worldwide; yet, he never expected it to happen to someone he knew personally.

"Mr. Tenou?" Haruka quickly looked up at the doctor. "Will you follow me please?" He stood up and followed him out of the waiting room. They went into a private room before the doctor started to speak again. "The skin graft was successful. In order to aid with Michiru's healing we placed her into a medically induced coma. We're going to keep her under for approximately a week. Unless her body wakes up on its own before that."

Haruka frowned and looked down at his feet. "Can I see her?" The doctor nodded and led him into the room Michiru had all to herself. He bid the doctor farewell as he closed the door behind him.

"I should have known something was up when you just suddenly quit your music." Haruka pulled the chair closer to the bed.

The sight before him caused his heart to ache. There were a few heavy white bandages on her cheeks and jaw, her neck was completely wrapped in a similar cloth. Haruka couldn't see much past the top of the exposed wrapping on her chest due to the hospital blanket, but he could tell that the boiling water had hit most of her torso.

"I wish I could have helped you sooner." He rested his hand on top of her stomach. "How could someone to this to somebody so great?" he let out a sigh before stepping out of the room and pulling out his cell phone to call Itachi.

"Hey Itachi, it's Haruka…I've got a little bit of a problem…"

The voice on the other side turned into that of a frantic one. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"You know the new girl Michiru?"

"Yea, what's wrong, can't she do it anymore?"

"No…it's not that…" he rubbed his temple before continuing. "Her husband nearly killed her. I'm at the hospital now."

"What?! What happened?"

"Apparently he was the reason she quit music. And when he saw me there he completely freaked out. Itachi, he dumped boiling water on her…" Haruka's voice trailed off.

"Do you want me to cancel rehearsal for tomorrow?"

"Yea, cancel it until further notice. I'm going to stay here with her until they release her. I'll talk to you later Itachi." The blonde closed his phone before walking back into the room.

He reclaimed his chair beside the bed and looked at the comatose woman next to him. "If only I had told you sooner…" he spoke aloud to her. "When I first met you, I thought you were gorgeous. I couldn't help myself when I fell in love with you. But you didn't want anything to do with me then…" he closed his eyes as he recalled the event.

"_Hey Michiru." Haruka spoke softly to the woman._

"_Hey what?"_

_The blonde hesitated before speaking. "Would…would you like to go out with me sometime?"_

_Michiru smiled. "Ruka, I'm flattered, really I am…but I don't date women. I'm straight."_

"You wouldn't go out with me because I was still a woman six years ago…I was still a woman…" he repeated the statement softly. "I should have told you that I was seeing a therapist for it. I never felt like a female. I thought for the longest time that I was just a lesbian. But I soon realized that it wasn't enough for me. I didn't feel whole…"

He jumped when his wristwatch alarm beeped at him. He stood up and went into the bathroom and pulled a small leather case from his pocket. After sitting on the edge of the tub he opened it up and proceeded to put one of the syringes together. He pulled out a small bottle and filled up the needle. "I always hate this part…" he mumbled before placing the glass tube between his teeth and unzipping his pants to expose his left thigh. He made it as quick as possible. A quick injection and it was over. He fixed his pants and started putting the needle away.

"Are you alright Mr. Tenou?"

He quickly turned to see a female nurse standing at the doorway. "Yea, I'm fine." He picked up his case from the floor.

She tilted her head and watched him. "If that's heroin…I have to report it…"

The blonde man chuckled and pulled the bottle from its spot to show her. "Drugs yes…illegal no. See…?"

She took the bottle from him to examine the seal on it as well as the label and instructions around the outside. "Alright, I'm sorry for assuming that." She smiled before handing it back to him.

"It's quite alright. I've been asked before about it. You never can be too careful." He nodded to her before leaving the bathroom to allow her to clean.

_-Later that evening-_

Haruka jumped from his slumber when he heard a noise from the hallway. "Where the hell is that bitch at?" The blonde frowned before getting up to open the door. In the hallway he saw several nurses trying to get Takada back into his room.

"Mr. Sato you're in no condition to be up and walking about. You suffered a concussion from –umph!" She gasped for air when he shoved her away from his path. "Somebody call the orderlies."

"You!" Takada's eyes landed on the figure in the doorway. "You have some nerve to be here after what you did to me." He stumbled his way to the taller man.

"Michiru doesn't want to see you."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now I suggest you move your ass before I move it for you."

Haruka simply stood his ground, arms folded over his chest. Over Takada's left should he could see three orderlies running toward them.

The blonde easily ducked as Takada took a somewhat drugged swing at him. Before he could recover enough for another attempt, two of the three men tackled him to the ground. Much to Haruka's amusement.

"OK buddy, its back to your room for you." One of them stated as they both picked him up to place him in the wheelchair that the third on brought over. "Only this time you're getting some special leather straps to make sure you don't go wondering off again."

"You should be tackling him not me! I didn't do anything. He's the one that did this to me!" He pointed to the bandage on his head.

One of the men stopped to turn to Haruka. "Is that true sir?"

Haruka nodded. "Yes sir it is. But I only did it because he did this…" He motioned to Michiru. "If I hadn't stopped him, she'd be in the morgue right now." The other man nodded and walked away.

"Don't worry sir, he won't be bothering you two anytime soon."


	8. Chapter 8

No excuses this time...Things are going a little bit better for me as of late. I actually made a friend....I work with her and it helps that she's gay too lol. So I'm excited about that. Anyway, here's your next chapter. I've found most of it, I just need to actually finish it off now. Enjoy.

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 8

One week had passed and Michiru still had not awoken on her own. Haruka had hardly left Michiru's side during that time period. "When are you going to wake her up?" He looked up at the doctor who was writing something in Michiru's file.

"If she doesn't wake up on her own by tomorrow then that's when we'll wake her up." He closed the folder and placed his pen back into his pocket. "Have you left here at all since you brought her in?" The blonde shook his head before taking a sip of his coffee. "That's what I thought. You still have on the same clothing from when I met you." He smiled softly. "You should at least go home and get a change of clothing. I don't think you want Michiru to see you like this."

Haruka wanted to protest, but looked down at his clothes and sighed. The doctor had a point. He had not left his dear friend's side for the entire week. There was no way he could let her see him in this current state. "Could you call me a taxi?"

"I can have a nurse do that for you. Just come downstairs at…" He glanced at his watch. "How about in an hour; at 1:30?" Haruka nodded to him and watched him leave.

He truly did not feel comfortable with leaving Michiru alone, but knew that the doctor was right. "I promise I'll come back to you. I'm not going to leave you." He glanced at his watch before reaching for the remote to change it to the race.

Ever since he was young he dreamed of becoming a racer. He always knew that if music didn't work out for him, then he would devote all of his time to the track. He did spend weekends there with a stock car he had built from scratch. Even though he had never formally been offered a contract, there were always scouts talking to his mechanic.

"Maybe someday I'll make a huge name for myself." He turned back to the television to watch as the race entered its final lap. "I've always wanted to race professionally, but never thought I was good enough to make anything of myself."

He jumped when his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen to see 'Itachi.' He really didn't want to talk to anybody.

"This better be important Itachi." The agitation in his voice was evident.

"Sonoma wanted me to call you…" The voice on the other line trailed off.

"Sonoma? Normally she calls me herself when it's important."

"Yea…well she just didn't have the heart to do it herself…She's not too happy that you've cancelled rehearsals without running it by her first. Haruka, she found someone else to conduct the symphony…"

His body froze. "So what are you saying? Am I fired?"

"I'm so sorry Haruka. I tried to talk her out of it but you know whenever she makes up her mind, good luck getting her to change it…Haruka?...Are you there?"

He stood up and ended the phone call. Itachi was right; whenever Sonoma made up her mind it couldn't be changed. She was, after all, the owner. He shut off his phone, knowing that Itachi would try to call him again. Maybe now would be the best time for him to focus on racing. Hopefully the racing league would be as accepting of him as the music industry had.

"Bastards…" He mumbled as he made his way down to the front door to catch his taxi home.

--

Michiru groaned softly as she opened up her eyes. Her hands started shaking as she looked around the crisp, white hospital room. She was alone. Part of her was expecting Takada to be there, waiting to scold her about Haruka.

"You're awake."

She turned her attention to the door and saw a tall, older man standing in the doorway. "Where am I?" She raised her bandaged hand to touch her face and frowned when she felt the cloth. "What's this?"

"They're bandages Michiru. You're in the hospital. Your husband nearly killed you…" he moved closer to her. "I'm going to change your bandages. Is that alright?" she nodded softly as he started cutting off the bandages.

"What did he do to me?" she winced when he pulled the dressing from her neck.

"He poured boiling water over your face, neck, and chest…the grafts seem to be healing very nicely. I won't even have to put on any fresh dressing. I'll just have a nurse continue to come in to put gel over the wounds." He gently put a clear gel over the scabs. "How are you feeling?"

She looked up at him. "I'm hungry…and I'm tired." Her eyes moved around the room. "Am I alone? What happened to Takada?"

"Takada? Oh, your husband? After we treated him for a concussion he was taken to the police department for what he had done to you."

"How on earth did he get a concussion?" She rubbed her forehead, everything slowly coming back to her. "Where's Haruka? Is he alright?"

"He should actually be back any moment now, I told him to go home and at least change his clothes. He hasn't left your side all week."

A small smile played at Michiru's lips. She knew Haruka cared for her, yet never realized how much he actually did care. "So what's going to happen to Takada?"

"That's something you'll have to ask the police officers when they come to speak with you. All I know is that you will be required to press domestic assault charges against him in order for anything to happen." She frowned. "I'll have to call the officers to let them know that you're awake. They'll probably be in later this afternoon to ask you some questions."

She nodded and closed her eyes. She did love Takada, she really did, but this act was showing her that what he'd been doing all of these years was illegal. He should not be beating her within an inch of her life.

"Can you stay until Haruka gets back? I don't want to be alone…"

"I can't, but I can have a nurse come in until he returns." He smiled at her, completely understanding why she didn't want to be alone. She watched him open up the door and motion for a nurse to come in. "Michiru, this is Ayame, she'll sit with you until your brother returns."

'Brother?' she thought to herself, yet didn't say anything. She simply figured that Haruka had lied in order to be able to stay in the room with her. It was the only way he wouldn't have to wait outside until she woke up.

"Hi Michiru, my name's Ayame." The older woman closed the door behind her. "Would you like me to stay with you until Haruka returns?" Michiru only nodded to her. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" the woman on the bed shook her head. "You know, when I was your age I was in a bad, abusive relationship too…she was ten years my senior then." Michiru's head snapped around to look at the woman.

"She…?"

The nurse smiled and nodded. "Yes, she…I figured that wouldn't matter to you, considering your brother was once a female."

Michiru's eyes went wide. Now it all made sense. It all started coming back to her about Haruka. That's why she had once denied him a date, stating she was straight. He was once a she. She barely focused on Ayame's words as she tried to figure out her own thoughts.

"Are you alright hun?"

"Yea, just thinking about some things. I'm sorry."

Michiru jumped when the door to her room opened. "You're awake!" Haruka came through the doorway.

He was wearing a pair of tan khakis and a deep red button down shirt. She shivered as her eyes searched his body. There was not a single part of him that appeared to be female. It was almost as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"Thank you for staying with me Ayame. I'm fine now." She watched the older woman leave the room before she turned her attention to the man near the doorway. "It all make sense now."

The blonde sat down on the edge of the bed. "What do you mean?"

"I remember now why I denied you a date all those years ago…You were a woman then…weren't you?" He hung his head before nodding. "Haruka…I don't care what you are. You're always been a great friend to me."

He smiled before leaning forward to hug her tightly. "Thank you."

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Ok you all know my rules....You make it this far you're required to review :D Hope you liked it..this chapter was a bit dry, but required for the storyline.


	9. Chapter 9

This chapter's a little bit shorter....Kind of a filler chapter.

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 9

"Michiru, you have to press charges against him."

"I can't. What if he gets off and comes back after me?"

"He won't get off. As long as you testify there's no way he'll get out of this. Michiru, I'm going to testify too, and I'm sure the doctor's here will. You just have to trust me on this."

She nodded and looked up as two officers walked into the room. She felt a little relaxed as she realized they were both female.

"Do you mind if we ask you two some questions?"

She looked over at Haruka before nodding. "Yes…that's fine." She sat up slightly to look at the two uniformed women.

"Mr. Tenou, what's your relation to Ms. Kaiou?"

"A close friend."

"How long have you two known one another?"

Michiru noticed Haruka frown before answering. "About 8 years, why?

"We just need to get some background information before this goes to trial." Michiru swallowed nervously and blindly reached for the blonde's hand. "What do you recall from that afternoon Michiru?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I returned home after the audition. Haruka, here, dropped me off. He knocked on the door a few minutes later to return my violin to me. I had left it in his car. Apparently Takada got home as Haruka was leaving. He accused me of cheating on him and called me a whore." She froze, not wanting to say anything else.

"And then what happened?"

"Nothing…nothing else happened to me. I did this to myself." She heard Haruka grumble. "I was stupid…I deserved his punishment."

"What did he do to you?"

"He took the pot from the stove and dumped the water on me. I disobeyed him though! I deserved it!" She took a deep breath when Haruka squeezed her hand, to calm herself down. "Doesn't this happen to everybody?" She frowned.

"No Michiru, it doesn't. A husband is not meant to hit his wife the way he did to you."

"I always thought it was normal. My dad always hit my mom when I was growing up. He said it was his way to show her that he loved her." She pulled her hand away from Haruka's to grip the blanket. A few tears made their way down her cheeks to fall to the bed. It had been so long since she'd been able to actually cry. How could she have been so stupid to think that what was happening was right?

"Do you think you two could come back another time?" Haruka looked at the officers who nodded at him before leaving the room. "Are you alright?"

"How could I have been so stupid Haruka? Why didn't I see it before?" She allowed herself to be pulled into the man's arms. "I never once realized that it was wrong…never."

"Michiru, it's alright. I'm a part of this now so you're not going to be alone. I promise." He spoke softly as he rubbed her back gently. "I don't want you to go back to that house."

"Then where am I supposed to go then?" She pulled away just long enough to look into his eyes.

"You can stay with me. I've got plenty of spare rooms that you can use."

She smiled. "Thank you…I don't want to be alone."

_-The Following Morning-_

"Everything looks fine Michiru. So that means as long as you're feeling fine you're more than welcome to go home."

"She's going to be staying with me. Would it be possible to update that as her new address?"

"I really don't want to be alone right now…" Michiru chimed in after Haruka.

The doctor smiled and nodded. "While you're getting changed I'll send the nurse in to get that. She'll also have your prescription information for you. I'm giving you one for the medication get as well as one for a mild pain killer."

Haruka stood to follow the doctor out of the room. "Will you stay to help me?" Michiru slowly moved to the edge of the bed. "It hurts a little to move."

The blonde man blushed slightly before pushing the door shut and returning to Michiru's side. "As long as you're sure."

Michiru nodded and allowed her friend to help her get changed into a set of clothing that he had purchased for her.

"Michiru?" They both turned to the door to see Ayame come in with a mobile computer as well as a small pile of paperwork. "The doctor said you had a new address you'd like to add?" Haruka nodded and began to tell the nurse his address. "Same road?" She looked at him questionably.

"Yes, it's about two miles away from her."

She nodded and finished changing Michiru's address. "Alright, all I need is your signature on this paper." She handed Michiru a pen and showed her where to sign. Afterwards she handed her two prescriptions. "You're all set Michiru. Take care of yourself."

"We'll stop on the way home to get your medicine." He looked down into her eyes. "Does it hurt?" He stopped his hand before he touched her cheek. She quickly found herself grabbing his hand to place it against her cheek.

"Yes, it does hurt." She closed her eyes and pressed her jaw against his palm. "Thank you."

"For what?" He didn't back down as she leaned against him, pressing her face softly to his chest.

"Just thank you Ruka."

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Don't forget to review :D Since you made it this far and such.


	10. Chapter 10

My chapters seem to get a little bit shorter...again, just another boring filler chapter. It'll make sense as the story progresses...this is going to turn into a long one, I hope you're all ready for a long, drawn out battle with me to get this up for you guys. Enjoy.

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 10

"Would you like to stop at your house to get some of your belongings?" Haruka opened the passenger side door for Michiru. In his hand, he carried both of her medications.

"I…I don't know if I can. But I do need clothes…and I'd like to get my violin to practice some. Since I'm sure I'm far behind the others."

"About that…" He leaned into the door to look at her. "I got fired for canceling the practices."

"What?"

Haruka shook his head as he shut the door and made his way around to the driver's side. "Don't even start blaming yourself Michi. It's not your fault." He looked at her saddened expression and sighed softly. "If you tell me where you keep everything I can go in and get it for you."

She smiled softly and nodded. "If you go in and go upstairs, the first door on your left is the study, my violin is in the closet. The door directly across the hallway is the bedroom, all of my clothes are in that closet. There should be some luggage in there as well that you can use." Haruka nodded as he drove his car onto the freeway to get across town faster. "So what do you plan on doing now that you don't work for the orchestra anymore?"

He sighed. "I thought about focusing on my racing."

"Racing?" She looked at him, a little confused.

He chuckled and smiled softly. "Yea, I always go to the track on the weekends to race. And I think if I expressed interest I'd be able to get a contract. My mechanic politely declines whenever the scouts want to talk to me. But now…That's a different story now." He pulled off the exit from the interstate and turned down the road that they both lived on.

"Oh no…" Michiru's face went blank as she saw a second car in the driveway.

"What's wrong?" he parked his car in the driveway and looked at the shaken woman.

"Keitaro is here…Takada's brother. I have to go in with you…"

Haruka nodded and shut off his car before climbing out. He gently wrapped his arm around Michiru's hip as they made their way to the front door. "Nothing's going to happen to you. Trust me."

Michiru nodded before pulling herself away from him and going inside. "Hello?" she jumped when there was a loud crash from upstairs. "Keitaro?"

"You have some nerve you stupid slut!" he made his way down the hallway, yelling insults. "How dare you sleep around and then accuse Takada of hurting…you…" He froze when his eyes landed on his sister-in-law. She diverted her eyes, expecting him to start yelling at her more. "How could he? I never would have expected him to do this. I...I never knew." He looked at the still healing burns on her face and neck. "Michiru…I'm so sorry…he told me to destroy everything that was yours. He said this was all your fault. He was my brother Michi, I thought I could trust him."

Her face went white. "What have you gotten to so far? All I came here for was my violin and some clothes…" Her eyes traveled to the kitchen floor, her body tensing instantly as the memories flooded her mind.

"Hey, don't look at that…come here." Haruka stepped in front of her and pulled her against him. She quickly relaxed from his touch and leaned against him.

"I…" he hesitated. "I just smashed your violin. And I cut up most of your clothing. Michi I had no idea…"

She only shook her head before walking upstairs. Haruka stayed right behind her. She didn't say anything as she started sifting through tattered shirts and pants, pulling out anything that was still in one piece. "Can you get the bag out of there?" she pointed blindly toward the closet. Haruka nodded and grabbed a small black duffel bag from the closet.

He carefully picked up each of her shirts. "We can go out to get you more clothes. That's no problem." Again she shook her head. "You can't blame Keitaro."

"I'm not…this just shows the influence that Takada has over people. I know Keitaro has a heart though and I'm sure he'll speak out against his brother if asked to. He's always been like a big brother to me." She wiped away a stray tear before shaking her head clear of memories. "I'm ready to go…I don't want to be here anymore."

"Michiru, where are you staying at? I know Sasha would love to see you." He greeted them as they reached the bottom landing.

Michiru looked at the expression on Haruka's face and answered his unasked question. "Sasha is my nice." The blonde smiled and nodded. She turned away from Haruka to give Keitaro the address.

"It's fine if they come over." He smiled before picking up Michiru's suitcase. "Are you ready to go?" She nodded before following him from the house. "Are you going to be alright?"

She only nodded, then climbed into the car. Not a word was shared between them during the few minute car ride home.


	11. Chapter 11

This chapter, sadly, is just as dry as the rest, but I feel that it's necessary to the storyline. I hope you enjoy...

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 11

"Aunt Michi what happened to you?" the ten year old looked up at the woman after she hugged her.

"Michi, I told her that Takada hurt you. She's old enough to understand." Keitaro moved to the sofa to sit down.

Haruka smiled softly at the family's exchange. He missed having a family of his own. He hadn't seen his mother or father since he told them of his gender dysphoria.

"_Mom...dad, can I talk to you guys?" Haruka calmly walked into the living room where both of her parents sat in front of the television._

"_What is it Ruka?" The young woman looked at her aging mother. A smile playing at her lips. She had ran through her speech in her mind for days. Trying to find just the right words to tell her parents._

"_This isn't easy..." She sat in the recliner, finally getting her father's attention. He grabbed the remote and muted the TV._

"_What's wrong kiddo?"_

"_I've been seeing someone for the past few weeks." She quickly shook her head before her parents could congratulate her. "No, I haven't had a girlfriend, not in a while. I've been seeing a therapist."_

"_Why, honey what's going on?"_

"_I've had some really bad thoughts...no..." She raised her hands to stop both of her parents from speaking. "Please, just allow me to finish, I've been practicing this for a week now. Neither of you realize how hard it's been for me over these past few months. I don't feel...right...I don't feel whole as a person. I feel like there's something missing. The more I think about it the more I'm realizing what I'm missing. I've never felt 'right' as a woman. I don't think that's what I was meant to be. I'm not happy as a female. I don't..." she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I don't want to be a woman anymore..."_

That was the last time he ever spoke to his parents. They completely shut him out of their lives after that. "If you need me I'll be out working on my car." It was one of the few ways he knew how to relax and suppress his thoughts.

Keitaro turned his head toward Haruka. "What kind of car are you working on?"

Haruka stopped. "It's a 2003 Ferrari F 575 GTC…why?"

Keitaro stood up and started to follow him to the garage. "You race?"

"Yea…you know cars?" He nodded. "Maybe you can help me then. I've been running a little harder then I should on the track."

Michiru smiled at them then picked up her niece. "So what exactly did your daddy tell you?"

"Uncle Takada hurt you. Why would he hurt you?"

"Well honey…" She sat down on the sofa, the girl cradled in her lap. "Your uncle's a bad person. He hurt me to make himself feel better."

The little girl reached up to gently touch her aunt's cheek. "What did he do to you?"

"Well, this…" she motioned to her face. "…this came from boiling water. He got mad at me for having Haruka over. He didn't like me having any friends. He didn't like me playing my violin or painting either."

"But Haruka's a nice man...Why did he stop you from playing? You're so good at the violin. Daddy played a CD once for me o you playing music. I didn't believe it was you."

"He didn't like me being away from the house whenever he was home. He was afraid I was going to leave him…" Michiru bit her lip and pulled the young girl closer to her, some tears forming in her eyes…

--

"That should do it. Go ahead and turn it on." Keitaro stood from the engine and watched Haruka hesitantly lean in to grab the keys.

Haruka closed his eyes, cringing as he turned the key to start the car. He was expecting something to shoot through the ceiling or to fall to the ground. Yet, nothing happened, the car started perfectly. "Keitaro, you're a genius!" He stood back up and looked at the other man. "Are you interested in being one of my mechanics?"

Keitaro smiled before wiping his hands on an oil soaked rag. "You become famous and then I'll think about it." The blonde chuckled. "Let me ask you a personal question Haruka."

Haruka froze as he sat back down to cut the engine. "Go for it…"

"How did you meet Michiru?"

He sighed in relief. "It was about 8 years ago. I helped her write some of her music. It was long before she met Takada."

"Do you like her?"

"I always have."

"Why then, did you two never get together?"

Haruka sighed, he was unsure of how to answer Keitaro's question. "It just turned out to be the wrong time is all." He allowed the engine hook to slam shut before grabbing a rag to wipe his hands on.

"Does Michiru know you like her?"

"She knows I did…I don't even know if my feelings are still there now…Listen…"He stepped closer to the other man. "…Don't let her know any of this, alright?"

"Don't tell me what?" Michiru stood in the doorway of the garage, giggling as she watched Sasha run over to Haruka's car in awe.

Keitaro grinned and looked at the blonde who turned beet red. "Just some man talk is all."

"Uh huh…Haruka I'm going to make dinner for us."

"Would you two like to stay?" Haruka quickly grabbed Sasha's hand before she could smudge the glass. "No, no, not for little kids to touch. OK?" She pouted but allowed herself to be picked up so she could look inside.

Keitaro smiled and nodded. "We'd love to stay."


	12. Chapter 12

Jen's been writing!! :D Go Jen go...Hope you enjoy...mind you I haven't written on this one in a while lol I'm done up through chapter like 22 at the moment, so I don't have to work on it for a few more chapters. Hope you enjoy.

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 12

"We've got a trial date for Monday. I called you both in here to help prepare you for the case." Goro Inoue spoke to the pair seated before him.

"Do you think we're going to be able to convict him?" Haruka spoke before gripping Michiru's hand.

"Oh yes, I've obtained and reviewed all of your medical reports. As long as you continue to tell the truth about what happened. You need to make sure you tell the court exactly what Takada did to you."

"I don't remember how everything happened though." She looked down at her hand as it rested in her friend's.

"And that's perfectly fine. It's quite easy for somebody to forget traumatic events. Don't you worry Michiru, he's going to jail." The attorney sifted through some paperwork. "I want to get started by asking Haruka some questions. Please remember these are not questions I'll be asking, but they're possibly some of what the defense will ask."

Haruka took a deep breath before nodding. It was obvious as to how nervous he was. "Alright, go ahead."

"You've known Michiru for quite some time, correct?" Haruka nodded, causing the attorney to shake his head. "All answers need to be spoken."

He nodded. "Yes, I have."

"About how long would you say?"

He glanced at Michiru. "About 8 years."

"Don't do that before you answer. It makes it appear as though you're searching for the answer from Michiru. In other words, it looks like you're lying." Haruka nodded before Goro continued. "Were you two close?"

"We did a lot of work together so-"

"Just answer the question."

"Yes, I thought we were close."

"Were you two ever romantically involved?"

Haruka frowned at the question. "No we were not."

"And are you now?"

"No."

"Why did you two go so long without speaking?"

A sigh left his lips before he spoke. "We stopped speaking after she started dating Takada seriously."

"Did you meet Takada?"

"Yes, I met him several times."

"And what was your impression of him?"

Haruka couldn't hide his chuckle before answering. "I thought he was an arrogant jerk."

"Why did you think that?"

"I saw the way he treated Michiru. He controlled everything she did."

"Did you love her?"

He frowned and took a deep breath. He glanced at Michiru before answering softly. "Yes." He stood from his chair. "Do you think they're actually going to bring that up?"

"I don't think they will Haruka, I know they will. They will also being up the fact that you two are living together now, and the fact that you are a transsexual."

"How did you know that? I never brought it up to you."

Goro chuckled. "Since the two of you have known each other for so long, I had to gather information from that long ago. That's how I found out you were once female."

"What else can I expect from them on Monday?"

"They're going to attack your credibility. They're going to try to show the court that because of your surgeries and medical history that you're incompetent to share what you remember. I can almost promise you that they'll bring up current and past feelings toward Michiru. By doing that they're trying to show your statements are swayed by your emotions."

Michiru stood and followed the attorney and Haruka from the office. She couldn't help but to allow her eyes to travel over Haruka's body. Even though she knew the blonde was once female, she still found him very attractive. She remembered when she first met him…

_"Michiru, I'd like you to meet Haruka Tenou."_

_Michiru allowed her hand to be kissed by the blonde. 'He's so handsome…' She couldn't help but to think as she watched the person in front of her._

_"She's going to be helping you to write some of your music. As well as help you in recording."_

_"She?" Michiru looked at the blonde, a questioning expression on her face._

"Michiru, are you alright?"

Michiru quickly came out of her trance, a blush creeping to her cheeks. "Yea, just thinking is all." She smiled sheepishly before stepping into the car.

"Anything you want to talk about?" The blonde questioned when he sat down next to her.

"Maybe when we get home…"

* * *

It was a little bit shorter then anticipated...but still got the job done...There will be a tiny spark of romance in the next chapter, things from that point on will start to fall into place. I just felt as though I couldn't skip this, even though it's dry...It's still required ya know...don't forget to review!!


	13. Chapter 13

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 13

The car ride home was silent. The only thing shared between them was an occasional glance. Each time they met eye-to-eye Haruka smiled, causing his younger friend to blush and turn away.

"So tell me what's bothering you." Haruka finally asked when they pulled into his garage. "You haven't said a word to me since we left Goro's office."

"I'm fine, I swear I'm fine." She quickly lied before going inside. She took a deep breath as she allowed her body to relax against the closed door of her room. How could she tell her friend of feelings she had almost eight years ago?"

_"Hey Michiru. Can I ask you something?" The violinist pulled her bow away from the strings to look at her blonde friend._

_"Sure, you know you can ask me anything."_

_"Would you like to go out and have dinner with me some night?"_

_Michiru blushed and diverted her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to tell her yes. The only thing she could think about at that time was her career. "You asked me that before Haruka…" She hesitated. She knew that they would easily pass as a straight couple. Yet, what if people found out though? Her career would be ruined. "I'm flattered, I truly am, but I can't accept that invitation."_

'Had I only told him yes. We'd be together now and happy. I have to tell him…' She allowed herself to sigh before standing up and leaving her room. Her hands shook as she made her way to the garage to find Haruka. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yea, of course. What's on your mind?" he stepped closer to her.

"Remember when you asked me to dinner?"

He tilted his head. "Vaguely. It was a long time ago." His eyes met with hers, as if he were trying to read into her heart to figure out where she was going with her question.

"Are those feelings still there?"

He diverted his eyes to hide the blush on his cheeks. "I'm not sure…"

"I need to know." Her voice was barely above a whisper before she snaked her arms around the blonde's neck and pulled him close enough to kiss him. All of her nervousness was washed away as she allowed herself to lean against the larger man.

Haruka felt a chill go down his spine, quickly relaxing in the kiss. He than thought twice about what he was doing and pulled himself away from Michiru. "Michi, you're still technically married to him. I can't do this. Not while you've still got that ring on your finger."

"I'm sorry Ruka, I just needed to know what I was feeling. Please don't be made at me." She allowed her arms to remain around Haruka's neck.

"No, I'm not mad at you. How could I be mad at you for doing what I've wanted to do since I first saw you? It just doesn't feel right, not now anyway…"

"I was thinking about that too." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm filing for a divorce. I know that I won't have any problems getting it. After its final…" She hesitated while looking into Haruka's eyes. "…I mean, if the offer still stands. I'd love to go to dinner with you."

"Of course the offer still stands." He looked down at the tiled floor as if searching for his next words. "I'm not entirely male…Not yet anyway…When I'm able to get the money together I'll be able to fly to Canada to meet with a doctor…"

"Well, at least you don't have to go alone anymore. I'll gladly go with you. I want to learn more about you Haruka. More about the actual you. I know you from before, but…" She sighed. "I don't know anything about the _real_ you."

Haruka could only smile. He had never met anybody so willing to learn about him. The moment was ruined; however, when Haruka's cell phone alarm started ringing. He jumped and quickly brought an end to the noise. "Come with me."

"What's that alarm for?"

"It's time for my medicine." He laced his fingers with Michiru's as they made their way to the bathroom. When they entered the room he released his grip and pulled a fresh needle from his box. The entire time Michiru's eyes never left him. "This is my testosterone." He said after he pulled a small vial from the medicine cabinet. "I have to take it once every two weeks…sit down." She did as she was requested, intently watching Haruka as he filled the syringe with the thick, gel-like liquid. "Would you like to do it?" He chuckled when she quickly shook her head. "I promise it's not that hard." He unbuckled his belt and allowed his pants to fall to his knees. After taking Michiru's hand, he placed it on his thigh. "Do you feel the muscle?"

She nodded. "Yes, it's right here." She gave it a little squeeze.

"Well that's where the needle goes. Watch." He pressed the needle into his skin. It had gotten to the point where he didn't feel it anymore. Michiru, on the other hand, flinched and looked away. "You're never going to learn if you don't watch Michi." He smiled at her blush.

"But doesn't that hurt you?" she forced herself to look back at him.

"No, I've been doing this so long that I don't feel it anymore. Now…after you've got the needle in you need to draw back on the plunger."

"Why?" She spoke, now suddenly intrigued.

"You have to check for blood. If there's blood you have to pull it out and start again. It means you hit a vein if you draw in blood. If it goes into my bloodstream, it could kill me." He smiled before pressing the plunger to finish the injection. "See, no blood." He pulled the needle from his leg and disposed of it in his medical sharps container, then pulled his pants up.

"Are you sure that didn't hurt you Haruka?"

He chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure it doesn't hurt. The first few shots did, but not anymore thought. My body's used to it." He offered his hand to her. "Let's go eat, I'm hungry."

* * *

Don't yell at me if the facts about the Testosterone injects aren't 100% true...they're close enough for my liking...Please review *cries* I feel like a horrid writer when nobody reviews :'(


	14. Chapter 14

OK, it's been a little while. I've just been lazy OK? give me a break lol. Enjoy.

Love,

Jen

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Guardian Angel  
Chapter 14

Haruka glanced up from his magazine when the passenger door opened and Michiru climbed into the car. In her hands she carried an unmarked envelope. "I want to get these filled out tonight so I can bring them back tomorrow. Haruka...I just want this to be over as soon as possible."

She looked down at her hands as she slid off her wedding band. "You know I'll bring you back out here. Hopefully he'll sign it with no excuses."

Michiru sighed and looked through the paperwork she had to fill out. "I don't want to think about this anymore...can we just go home?"

"I was hoping to go out to the track today. Would you like to go with me?" she quickly nodded. Haruka smiled and made a left at the next light. "I was hoping to be able to talk to a sponsor today. Just to see if they're still interested in offering me a job."

"What if they don't?"

"Then I'll just have to keep trying until they do." He smiled and turned down the driveway for the track. "I've got enough money in the bank for us to live comfortably for several months."

She nodded and climbed out of the car when it came to a stop. After walking around to the front, she waited for Haruka to join her before heading to the gate. What was it about this man that drew her to him so much? She couldn't keep her mind from racing as they walked toward an older man.

"Hi Yoshi." Haruka greeted him with a warm handshake before motioning to Michiru. "Yoshi, I would like you to meet Michiru. She's a friend of mine from a long time ago."

"Haruka, she's gorgeous...what a catch!"

Michiru blushed heavily as the man took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. "She's just a friend Yoshi." A small frown played on her lips. "She's not a catch."

"You know, you've had seven different scouts wondering where you've been."

"Are any of them here today?"

Yoshi turned to look at another man. "There's one over there. He's from Sakura..."

"Sakura?!" Haruka's eyes lit up. "Sakura's the top racing team in the league." he clarified when Michiru's look showed confusion. "Yoshi...could you introduce me?"

"I thought you weren't interested in professional driving?"

"Well, some things have changed." he stepped closer to Michiru. "If you want to stay here, I'll understand." he smiled.

"I think I'll watch some of the other cars." she let her hand drag over his shoulder.

"You know where we'll be at." He smiled again before leaving with Yoshi.

"She's really beautiful Haruka."

"I know. But she's still married."

"Wait..." he stopped. "You're running around with a married woman?" he smacked the blonde's arm. "Are you stupid or something!"

"I'm not running around with her! How many times do I have to tell you that? Not until after the divorce is final..." He smirked.

"Have you slept with her?"

Haruka blushed. "No, but we have kissed."

"You're making progress at least."

* * *

"Would I be able to come back tomorrow afternoon to show you and Sakura what I've got?" Haruka smiled.

Aki returned the smile and nodded. "We'll both be here from 11 AM until 4 PM. If you could come between those times to run a few laps that would be great."

"Haruka...I'm sorry to bother you..." Michiru frowned as she gently grabbed Haruka's arm, her voice hushed.

"What's wrong?"

She leaned up to whisper into his ear, "All of those mechanics kept starring at me. They were starting to give me the creeps."

Haruka frowned. "OK..." he turned back to Aki. "I'll see you and Sakura tomorrow afternoon. Com on Yoshi, we have to take care of something." he laced his fingers with those of the smaller woman's and returned to the garage.

"What's going on Haruka?"

"I need all of you guys to stop what you're doing and come here."

They all looked up, chuckled at him, and continued their work. "I'd advise you to listen to him."

Haruka quickly chimed in when Yoshi finished. "If you all want a job tomorrow then I'd suggest you put your tools down and come here." Slowly they started to grumbled as they put their tools down and made their way to Haruka. "Now...a little birdy told me that none of you can keep your eyes in your heads. Anybody want to defend that?"

"I've been working. We all have been working to fix this car's problem."

Michiru shook her head. "That's bullshit. You act like you've never seen a woman before. Now listen to me...I want each and every one of you to apologize to Michiru." He looked around the garage at the five men, nobody making an attempt to beg forgiveness. Haruka simply shrugged. "I hope none of you have any problem finding another job. I want your keys on that table and your shit out of here in ten minutes."

"What?!" Yoshi looked at Haruka.

"I'm serious. Get out of here...NOW!"

Haruka watched as each of the mechanics tossed their keys on the table. "Haruka, have you lost your mind? We won't make Sakura's team without them."

"Yes...we will. I know what I'm doing, trust me." He smirked at Yoshi before looking down at Michiru. "They won't bother you anymore alright? I promise." He pressed his lips to her forehead, causing a wave of relaxation to wash over her body.

* * *

Bit of a boring chapter...a lot of them are in my opinion...we won't get into juicy chapters..well...I think it's like two more lol just be patient the good/serious stuff is coming.


	15. Chapter 15

Woot, updates all around. Enjoy :D

* * *

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 15

"Sakura racing wants you?" Keitaro stared blankly at the blonde. "That's incredible Haruka. But why are you telling me?"

"I need a mechanic to help me become famous." he smiled.

Keitaro frowned. "I can't just quit my current job Haruka."

"You've always wanted to be a mechanic honey..." his wife came from the kitchen, wiping her hands. "And if it falls through we've got enough in savings to be fine until you get back into accounting."

He signed. "What time do you want me at the race track tomorrow? I'll call off of work. I'm not going to quit if you don't make the team."

"I want to be on the track by 1, so if you could, be there at 10 to help get the car in shape."

-Next Morning 8 AM-

"Will you go inside with me?" Michiru clutched the papers in her hands as she looked at Haruka.

He smiled and nodded. "Once you give those papers to them, there's no turning back." Michiru nodded. "As long as you're ready for this. If it goes to trial you'll have to see him again."

"I know...I'm ready..." she climbed from his car and walked inside with him.

"Can I help you ma'am?" the receptionist looked up at the pair.

"Michiru Kaiou-Sato, I've got an appointment." She bit her lip after she said her secondary name.

She smiled. 'I'll let him know you're here, please have a seat." She picked up the phone as Haruka and Michiru sat in chairs near the window.

"I'm nervous Haruka."

"I know...everybody's nervous when it comes to speaking to an attorney."

"Michiru?" an older man appeared from a side hallway.

She stood and looked at Haruka before looking at the gentleman. "Can Haruka come back with us?"

He nodded, "As long as you give permission for him to be there." Michiru nodded and followed the attorney to his office. "I see you have your paperwork filled out." he took the forms from her to look over them. "What is your reason for divorce?"

She looked down at her lap. "He was abusive..."

"How bad?"

Haruka kept his eyes on his dear friend as she spoke. She looked back up at him, the visible burn scars appearing to him. "It was constant, ever since we were married." She bit her lip. "He's knocked me out several times...when he found out I was pregnant...the abuse turned verbal."

"You were pregnant?" Haruka asked before the attorney could.

"Was...yes...Until he found out I was having a girl. He said that it was my fault that I was having an inferior baby. He gave me a week to get an abortion...I didn't..." she reached up to wipe her tears away. "He threw me down the steps, just to make sure I wasn't have the baby anymore."

The attorney offered a tissue to Michiru. "How did you get those scars on your face?"

"Takada came home as haruka was leaving. He had given me a ride home that day...Takada accused me of cheating on him. He took a pot of hot water that I had on the stove and threw it on me." the whole time she spoke the attorney was writing notes. "If it wasn't for Haruka hearing me scream..." She shook her head as her voice trailed to nothing.

The attorney nodded. "You won't have any problems getting the court to grant this divorce. Especially since Takada's in jail. The only thing we can hope for is that he signs the papers when they're delivered to him. We'll be able to avoid the trial that way."

–

Haruka cursed as he fumbled with something in the engine later that same afternoon. "Dammit!"

Michiru leaned over his shoulder. "Is there anyway I can help?"

"Can you grab me a quart of oil from that table?" he pointed blindly to the table along the wall.

"You look like you need some help Haruka."

The blonde looked up to see Keitaro standing at the garage entrance. "It's about time..."

"Yea, I couldn't get through the gate." He stepped next to Haruka to look at the engine. "Nice car. But given the heat and wind today, try loosening this." He reached in with a wrench.

"This is why I'm not a mechanic and I hire others to do it for me." Haruka smiled as he stood up and wiped his hands on a rag. "I'm going to go and get changed. Do you want to stay here?" he turned to face Michiru. He smiled as she shook her head. "Alright, you can come with me." he offered her his hand which she gratefully took.

"You sure it's OK that I go with you?" He moved his hand to wrap around her waist.

"Yes, it's fine Michi." He smiled and led her back into the locker rooms. He grabbed his bag and walked into a private room for him to change. She politely diverted her eyes as he pulled off his shirt. He couldn't help but to laugh. "You don't have to do that."

"But I figured..." She motioned to her own chest, unsure of how to put the words together.

"It's OK...look." He gently cupped her cheek to turn her to face him. "See...no breasts."

Curiously she reached out to trace the scars that shaped his chest. "I can barely see the scars..." She looked up into his eyes, a blush covering her cheeks. "Looks like there was never anything here..." her fingers traced all the way across his muscular chest, then unconsciously her hand dropped to touch his firm stomach, causing him to shiver. "I...I'm sorry." She pulled away and reached for the door.

He couldn't contain himself as he grabbed her wrist, pressed her against the back of the door and kissed her fiercely.

* * *

Come on now...you know you wanna review...don't be afraid, it won't bite you. You know you waaaaannnnnnnaaaa *pout* please?


	16. Chapter 16

OK, so Haruka couldn't contain himself anymore. Would you be able to hold off so long on kissing Michiru? I know I wouldn't have lasted as long as he did.

Oh yea...this IS the chapter you've all been waiting for. Sweet lemony goodness. ^_~ Enjoy!

* * *

Guardian Angel

Chapter 16

"Congratulations Haruka." Yoshi held up his beer bottle in a toast to the newest member of the Sakura Raving Team. "It's about damn time you did something right."

Haruka smiled at him before turning his attention to Michiru. "Are you OK? You're looking a little flushed..." He pressed his hand against her forehead.

The aqua haired beautiful only giggled. "Of course I'm fine." She scooted her chair closer to Haruka's and looked up into his eyes. She hadn't fought him earlier that day when he kissed her as a lover would kiss his mate. She needed more, more kisses, more of him.

He felt his heart begin to race. His brain had already lost the battle to his heart that she her divorce was not final yet. His lips met hers halfway in a passionate kiss, similar to the one they had shared in the locker room, must to Yoshi and Keitaro's amusement. His hand cupped her cheek, completely forgetting about the other two.

"Why don't you two just go home already. It's obvious you two want one another! I'll even take you, you're too drunk to drive Haruka."

He reluctantly pulled away from the kiss. "I've only had three Yoshi. I finished off my last one a half hour ago. You just want to see some action in your back seat." He smirked as the other man blushed slightly. "Maybe you should just go in your bedroom and load some of that porn off your computer. Come on Michi." He picked up the rest of his six pack, grabbed his keys and led her from Yoshi's home.

"He's such a jerk."

The blonde chuckled. "I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out. He just loves to rub in my face that apparently I'm not a real man..."

"You're more of a man then he'll ever be Ruka." she gently pressed him against the passenger side of his car. "He's just a dirty, lonely man. You...on the other hand..." she ran her fingers under his shirt to touch his bare chest. "You are a perfect gentleman." She kissed his collar bone as she traced the scars on his chest. "So sweet, kind, caring, and most of all...handsome." She kissed him, long and hard. "Let's go home." She whispered in a low, seductive voice.

* * *

Haruka gently laid Michiru on his bed after they got home. No words were exchanged between them, nothing had to be said. All of the emotions felt between the two were shared through touch. He worked slowly at the buttons on her shirt. He had to see her. His heart had finally defeated his head. He was finally about to give into an urge that had been brewing in him for years.

The arch of her back toward his hand was all he needed as he pushed her bra out of his way and took her aching breast into his mouth.

"Take this off." She demanded as she tugged on his shirt. He quickly responded by sitting up and pulling it off. It landed haphazardly on the floor. He would deal with it in the morning.

The blonde took her hands to pull her up and remove her shirt and pesky bra. Their lips crashed against one another in a heat of passion. Their bodies fell against the cool sheets of the bed.

Haruka was the first to break the kiss. He moved his lips from hers and traced a path down her neck and soon resumed it's work on her breast. Her back arched, moans of enjoyment filled the room.

"Stupid button..." he mumbled as his fingers fumbled with her jeans. She helped him by lifting her hips so he could pull off the fabric. "So beautiful..." his words trailed off as his eyes took in her body.

Michiru sat up and started to unbuckle her love's belt.

"Wait a second...I'll be right back." he pulled away from her and disappeared into his bathroom, leaving her pouting. He emerged a few minutes later wearing only his boxers. Under which she could see a slight bulge.

"Had to change?" She smiled and stood to greet him.

"Yes, if that's OK?" he easily picked her up. She let out a soft moan as the prosthetic pressed against her. "Are you sure this is what you want?" He was answered with a soft tug on his prosthetic.

"Is...it OK if I play with it?" He nodded.

She pushed him onto his back and reached through the fly of his boxers to pull out the lifelike penis. He felt a low grumbled emerge from his throat as she began stroking it like it were the real thing.

Never before had he slept with someone who responded the way she did to it. He gasped as she pulled slightly to draw it into her mouth. He closed his eyes, allowing the pleasure to overcome him.

He only reopened his eyes when he felt her body against his. "I want you in me." She whispered against his ear before sucking on a small spot below it.

After one quick motion, he was poised on top of her. He gave her one more reassuring look before plunging deep inside her. He gave her no time to react. Passion had overcome him as he began thrusting into her.

She pulled him down to her so she could kiss him. Her nails dug into his back but she quickly stopped, remembering how Takada reacted. "No..." he spoke between breaths. "That felt good...don't stop." she obeyed him and dug her nails into his shoulders causing him to moan in ecstasy.

"Please...don't...stop." She pleaded as her hips ground anxiously against him. She yearned for more of him. "I can't...AH!" He held her close until she relaxed before pulling out of her.

"But you didn't finish." she pouted as she played with his hair.

"It's alright, I normally don't, not with the prosthetic anyway."

"Then how do you...?" She tilted her head. "I want you to have a release too Ruka."

The blonde smiled and carefully pulled the penis away from the adhesive on his body. "Well..." He pulled her close to whisper something in her ear, causing her to blush deeply. "You don't have to if you're not comfortable."

Michiru smiled before disappearing under the blanket to take what was left of Haruka's womanhood into her mouth. She shivered at the way Haruka responded to her mouth. Soon she found him trembling below her as he released.

He panted heavily as he looked at her. "Nobody's ever done that before..." he pulled her close to him before bringing the blankets up to cover them.

"I love you." Michiru spoke as she tucked her head against the blonde's shoulder.

He smiled, barely hesitating in his response. "I love you too."

* * *

OK, if you're confused as to what she did...go and look up the effects of testosterone on the female body, mainly the sexual organs lol, you'll get an idea that Michiru was still treating Haruka as a man ;) I didn't want to go into too much detail...

Review!!!!!!


	17. Chapter 17

Glad you guys like this so far...This chapter officially marks the halfway point in this story. I don't feel as though it's being dragged out, I feel like it's going at a nice pace. But maybe that's just me lol Enjoy

* * *

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 17

The faint sound of ringing could be heard in the bedroom. The sunlight had made its way through the slits in the curtains, signaling morning.

The blonde grumbled, he didn't want to leave the warmth of his love, but the phone just wouldn't stop ringing. He shielded his eyes as he sat up. "This had better be good..." He pulled on his bathrobe just as his answering machine picked up the call.

"This message is for Michiru Kaiou..." he noticed that Michiru's secondary name had been changed. "Michiru, I want to let you know your former husband, Takada, has signed the divorce papers."

Haruka quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?"

The man's voice on the other line sounded a bit startled as he spoke. "May I speak with Michiru Kaiou please?"

"Hold on one moment, let me go and get her." The blonde hurried back into the bedroom. He covered the receiver with his hand, using his other to shake the woman in his bed. "Michiru, wake up...It's your divorce lawyer...I think you should speak to him."

Michiru shot up, cleared her throat a few times before taking the phone from Haruka. "Hello?"

"Michiru? I've got some wonderful news for you." She ran her fingers through her mangled hair. "Takada signed the divorce papers yesterday after I faxed them to the prison."

Haruka smiled as he watched the shocked look that grew on her face. "That's amazing. I didn't think he would."

"Normally spouses don't sign right away. Normally they deny all allegations and fight it in court. I guess he realized he wouldn't win. Congratulations Ms. Kaiou."

--

Haruka went into the bathroom to put on his prosthetic and take a shower. He sighed as he shut his alarm off before it chirped at him.

"What are you doing honey?" Michiru slowly opened the bathroom door. She smiled as she saw him pull his medicine from the cabinet. "Can I help you with that?"

He looked at her and handed her the supplies. "Do you remember how I showed you?"

"I remember." She sat down on the floor in front of him as he sat on the edge of the tub.

He tilted his head as he watched her carefully clean the injection area. "Don't forget-"

"I know." She was careful when she began filling the syringe so she didn't damage the tip.

"And then you feel-"

"I know." She cut him off again as her hand rest on his thigh. She squeezed gently to find the muscle before jabbing the needle straight into it.

"And then-"

She giggled. "And then you draw back to make sure you didn't hit a vein. I told you I know honey."

Haruka winced softly as the liquid expanded his muscle. "You never get used to that..."He watched as Michiru placed the cap over the needle and then tossed it into the sharps container on the counter. She then began to massage his thigh where she gave him his shot. "You did good for your first time."

"So...you are officially on the market now?" Haruka tilted her chin up to kiss her deeply. She only nodded, never breaking the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he led her to stand. "I should have waited until today to have you." He moved his lips to her neck, kissing along the base of it. Reluctantly he stopped and pulled away from her.

"What are you doing?" She watched him take off his robe and boxers.

"Taking a shower...would you like to join me?" She shivered, it was the first time she had seen his whole body in the light. "Is there something wrong?" the way she looked at him made him frown.

"I just forget sometimes that you're still part woman." She looked away and began to rub her forehead nervously. "The person I made love to last night was very much a man." She took a step closer to him. "You must have paid a lot for these...didn't you?" she reached down to touch his flaccid S.T.U.D. (A/N: Stand to urinate device. Look it up if you don't know what it is.)

"This is my most expensive one." He smiled. "I paid about $3,500 for it. I only bring it out for special people."

"Why?"

He whispered, his warm breath sending a chill down her spin. "Because I can go from soft to hard without having to change like I did last night." He took her hand and placed it on the base. "Do you feel that little hard spot inside?" she nodded. "Press on it a few times." She looked at him questioningly before pressing on the little pump inside. Soon the prosthetic was fully grown and rock hard, yet still felt soft to the touch just like the real thing.

He smirked and lifted her up. She gasped and clung to his shoulders as he pushed into her. He pulled the shower curtain closed and turned on the water, never letting go of her. The warm water soon caressed their skin as their lovemaking continued. It was nearly a half an hour before Haruka finally allowed Michiru to stand in the shower to wash her body.

"I like that one..." Michiru whispered breathlessly as she exited the shower before Haruka did. He only smirked and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. "Promise me you'll only use that one from now on." She pressed against him and kissed him roughly.

"Keep kissing me like that and we're going to stay in bed all day." He picked her up to place her atop the counter.

"Promise?" She blindly loosened the towel around his waist, followed by the towel around her own body.

* * *

I decided to make the divorce nice and easy, since I didn't want this to drag our for another 2 or 3 chapters... Please make note of my A/N earlier, it explains what the STUD was...it's different then a strapon, trust me, there's a lot of differences between them. Anyway, don't forget to review :D


	18. Chapter 18

It's been a while since I've updated this story...I'm sorry about that. I've been busy, and I just haven't really felt like typing much.

I reposted this chapter, it seems like the email went out that it was up, but it's not actually showing up from the link or on the drop down menu...Hopefully this will fix it.

* * *

Guardian Angel  
Chapter 18

"Ruka, you got something from the district court...is it another speeding ticket?" she handed the envelope to him and thumbed through the remaining mail.

"I wasn't pulled over though." He started to open the envelope.

"They do have those speed cameras you know. They snap a photo of your license plate and bam! You get a ticket in the mail."

Haruka's face went pale, much to Michiru's amusement. "I hope that's not what it is...they'll end up getting a lot of money from me..." His eyes began scanning the page, looking for the speeding fine and due date. "Um...Michi, this is about Takada's trial...It's next month." He handed the paper up to her so she could look at it. "You should be getting one too then..."

"A Summons to Appear. You should probably take this to Sakura to let her know you can't make the team's practice those days." She sat down beside him.

Haruka nodded as he reached for his phone to call Yoshi.

"You have some nerve to call me after the way you treated me last night."

"Nice to talk to you too...I need you to pass on a message for me."

"Uh huh...and what would that be?" the frustration was evident in his voice.

"Well, since I don't have any contact information for Sakura, and you do...For the week of June 7th I won't be able to come to practices."

"And why the hell not?"

"Just got a summons today for Takada's trial."

"Oh...well you know they'll need to see it."

Haruka stood up and made his way into his office to pull out his race schedule. "Tell them I'll give them a copy tomorrow afternoon."

"Yea...fine, I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up before Haruka had a chance to respond.

"Are you alright Ruka?" She looked up as he re-entered the living room.

"Yoshi's being a dick because of what I said to him last night." He rolled his eyes. "Would you like to go out to dinner?"

"I don't have anything to wear though." She frowned.

"Would you like to order in then? And we can curl up and watch a movie. Maybe I'll even open up a bottle of wine." Michiru smiled at the offer. "And we can go out tomorrow to get you something nice to wear. Probably more than one, I know how you woman are."

Michiru's mouth fell open and she folded her arms over her chest. "You jerk."

"Admit it. Whether you've got one dress or 40 you still don't have anything to wear."

The woman sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. But you still didn't have to say it like that."

He let out a chuckle before retreating down the hallway to the kitchen. "Do you like sausage on your pizza?"

* * *

_Next afternoon after practice_

"Where would you like to go shopping at?" The blonde racer opened up the door for his girlfriend as they left the race track.

"Well...since you're buying...anywhere you'd like to go." She climbed into the car with a sigh.

Haruka smiled down at her before moving around to the driver's seat. "How about we go into the shopping mall then? I think there's a few nice stores in there. We can grab a quick lunch too."

"That sounds good." Again the smaller woman sighed.

"What's wrong Michi?" He started the car and backed out of its parking space.

"It's just...I was never able to buy anything with my own money when I was with Takada..."

He frowned and pulled the car back into the parking space and shut the engine off again. He reached his hand out to touch the scars on her cheek. "Once you start at your new job you can start buying me things." He smiled softly at her, trying to cheer her up.

"But that's not the same Ruka." She leaned against his hand, feeling herself relax. "How will I get to my new job? Especially with your practices and all."

"I don't mind getting things for you Michi. And as for you getting to work, I've got another car you can use." He gently coaxed her to look at him. He smiled as she started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You didn't shave this morning did you?"

"We were running late." He fought back. "I didn't have time."

"It's cute." She leaned over to give him a soft kiss. "I love you."

"I promise I'll shave tomorrow." The blonde sat back in his seat. "And I love you too, now let's go shopping, you need a dress so I can take you out to dinner."

* * *

_At the Mall_

"What do you think of this one Ruka?" she peaked around the corner from the dressing room, shy about the dress she was wearing. "I don't think I like it."

"I..." his breath caught in his throat as his eyes landed on her. She was wearing a black silk dress. It was low cut, showing just the top of her cleavage. Haruka's eyes continued traveling over her body. It had thin straps and hugged her body perfectly. "I love it."

"I don't feel comfortable in it." She turned to look at herself in the mirror. "It's so tight..." she frowned.

"It's perfect Michi." He rested his hands on her hips.

"But it's so expensive." She reached for the price tag only to have her hand slapped away. "But Ruka."

"Don't look at the price honey...go try the other one on."

She sighed in defeat and disappeared into her dressing room to try on another of the dresses. Only a few moments later she emerged in another dress.

"I love this one." The dress was similar to the black one, the only differences were it was strapless and a baby blue color. "It's gorgeous Ruka."

He stood to move to her. "Yes it is. I like it more than the black one." He stood behind her at the mirror. "It shows just how beautiful you really are."

"You think I'm beautiful? I don't feel it." She pushed some hair behind her ear with a sigh.

"I always thought you were beautiful Michi. And you'll always be beautiful to me." He turned her around to give her a gentle kiss. "Now go change so we can pay for those and go get something to eat." With a smile she returned to the fitting room.


	19. Chapter 19

_**I decided to dig this out to type the next chapter. Sorry for the delay. –Sigh- Well...here you go...**_

* * *

Guardian Angel

Chapter 19

"Are you going to be alright with seeing him again?" Haruka nervously fixed his tie and shifted in the courtroom seat.

"I want to see him go to jail for a long time Ruka. I think I need this." She swatted his hands away from his tie and leaned closer to tighten it. "Now stop playing with it."

"I can't help it. I've got some bad nervous habits." He frowned and began to play with the creases in his slacks.

"What are you going to do when you start winning races and have to answer interview questions?" He only shrugged, causing her to smile and take his hand into hers.

He felt her jump as a side door opened up and Takada was escorted in by two police officers. "Don't worry, he won't be able to hurt you. Not here with all of these officers.

* * *

The prosecuting attorney paced in the front of the courtroom, continuing his barrage of questions. "Tell me about your relationship with Michiru please."

Haruka fidgeted in his seat as he looked out at the courtroom patrons. "I first met Michiru about 6 years ago when I was assigned to work with her in music."

"What do you mean by assigned?"

"I was to write her music as well as assist her in recording it."

"Were you two more than friends?"

Haruka shook his head. "We were just friends."

"Did you harbor any feelings for Michiru at that time?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why were you two never together?"

"She told me that she was dating Takada at the time." He avoided revealing himself very well.

The attorney nodded at Haruka before sitting back down. "No further questions."

The judge turned his attention to the other side of the room. "Defense do you have any questions?"

He stood from his seat beside Takada and approached Haruka. "You said the reason you and Miss Kaiou never had relations was because she was dating Takada at that time. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is."

"Are you sure that was the only reason?"

Haruka frowned. "To the best of my knowledge, yes it was."

"Could it have been because at the time you met Michiru you were actually a woman?"

He looked down at his lap. "It's possible." Most of the courtroom gasped in amazement over what had just been revealed.

"I've done a little bit of research into transgenderism, Ms. Tenou." Haruka bit his lip and clenched his hands at the female reference. "Do you think you're competent enough to sit up there and tell me exactly what you saw."

"Yes, I do."

"Isn't transgenderism considered a mental illness?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"I happen to have here a book of all mental and physical disorders recognized by the national board of doctors. Transgenderism is listed as a purely mental condition, much like depression or insomnia, nothing that can't be cured with a little medicine. What you've done to yourself is irreversible in 10 years when you figure out you've made a mistake, isn't it Ms. Tenou?"

"Objection your honor, badgering the witness by calling him Miss."

"Legally Ms. Tenou is still female on all of her official documents." He smirked, knowing he had just made Haruka look to be crazy in the eyes of the jury." Nothing further." He returned to his seat.

* * *

"Michiru, you stated earlier that you no longer lived in the home you shared with Takada. Where are you living now?" The defense attorney leaned against the witness stand.

"I'm currently living with my friend Haruka."

"Is that same female in the courtroom today?"

"Female, no, but it is the same gentleman that was up here a few moments ago." She frowned at the attorney.

"Are you and Haruka sharing a bed?"

"Objection, what is the relevance?" The prosecuting attorney quickly interjected.

The judge nodded. "Sustained, where are you going with this?"

"Let me rephrase. Michiru, did you meet Haruka prior to Takada allegedly throwing the hot water on you?"

"He saw Haruka leaving out home after he had returned my violin."

"So Haruka was there only to return your violin...Are you sure that she wasn't there for sexual relations?"

Michiru frowned and reiterated herself. "_He_...was returning my violin."

"There's no need to get upset Michiru. To continue...have there been any relations between you two since you moved in?"

"Yes, but only after my divorce papers were finalized. He would not allow anything to happen while I was still technically married."

"So you're admitting that you're a lesbian then?"

"No I am not. I'm not admitting that I'm a lesbian because Haruka is not a woman." She frowned and glanced out at Haruka. Neither of them were expecting the attorney to be so harsh on them.

* * *

"I wouldn't worry about it. You two did great up there." The older man turned around when the jury was dismissed to deliberate.

"Uh huh...the jury probably thinks I'm not mentally stable enough to be up there and that Michiru has been cheating on her husband for the past few years."

"Honestly, those were just small blows, they'll focus on the main issue which happens to be written all over your face Michiru."

She quickly looked down, she was still ashamed of the appearance of her face.

Several moments passed before Haruka finally broke the silence. "Can I take this tie off yet? I'm starting to suffocate."

Michiru couldn't help but giggle at the man next to her. "You can't take it off until we get out to the car."

"But it's driving me nuts...Now I see why they call these things monkey suits."

"Because only monkeys wear them." She smirked and rested her hand on his.

"Ha...ha...ha...very funny Michi, Very funny."

* * *

Haruka quickly took his tie off as they walked out of the courtroom. "Do you want to come back tomorrow for Takada's sentencing?"

"No...I've seen enough of him. And I thought I told you to wait until we got to the car to take that off?"

"I got impatient. Besides that, I can see the car. That should count anyway." He stuck his tongue out at her as he climbed into his vehicle.

"Don't stick it out unless you plan to use it." She grinned at his blush. "Lets go celebrate."

He smirked. "So we're going home then?"

"No, let's go out to eat. You've got your first race tomorrow, you need all the sleep you can get." He pouted and backed out of the parking space. "Don't pout at me, I don't need to lose you in your very first race."

"Fine, fine, fine. I get it, but maybe after I win tomorrow?" He grinned at her.

* * *

_**Sorry it was sort of choppy. I tried to get the flow going as best I could with this chapter. I decided against doing the entire trial because that would turn into approximately 3 chapters worth of trial, which would get boring. Don't forget to review. :)  
**_


	20. Chapter 20

**_Sorry you guys had to wait so long for this. I hope you enjoy and continue reading...and bare with me with my other stories._**

* * *

Guardian Angel

Chapter 20

"I must say, you look amazing in your little flame retardant racing uniform." Michiru smiled up at him.

"Yea, yea, not the most comfortable thing in the world though." He leaned down to give her a long kiss.

"Isn't this sweet. Cute little wannabe man has a girlfriend." Yoshi folded his arms over his chest.

"Just because you can't get any doesn't mean you've got to always take it out on me you know."

"You're the easiest target." He smirked. "Come on, Michiru's got to leave so you can go and line up."

"Good luck honey. I'll be cheering for you." She leaned up to give him one last kiss before pushing her way by Yoshi.

"She doesn't like me does she?" He glared at her as she left the garage.

"It's because you're a dick Yoshi." Haruka was blunt in his answer.

Yoshi grumbled. "Well at least I have one Haruka. Now get your ass in the car, they're starting to line everyone up.

* * *

Michiru sat in a seat in the press box level and watched for Haruka's car to pull from the garage.

"There he is." She looked up at the woman seated behind her as she pointed out Haruka's car. "I hope he doesn't let us down."

Michiru smiled. "He won't. He's been looking forward to this race ever since he signed that contract."

"You must be Michiru."

"And you are?"

"Sakura, the owner of the team." She smiled before offering her hand to the younger woman. "This is more or less his tease. He knows he has to perform well or else I'll shred his contract."

Michiru nodded and turned her attention back to the track as the green flag was waved. "You should give him more than one race to prove himself. He's not used to racing against people like this."

"Yes, but you see, given his times in his old car, by giving him a newer, better car, he should only improve on those times. Being the best racing team in the league, I have to keep up that image." She smiled and lifted her binoculars to watch the cars on the track below. "He's already starting to move through the field. That's a good sign."

"He won't finish Sakura. None of the new ones ever finish where you want them to. I predict he'll choke by lap 150."

Michiru frowned at the man sitting next to Sakura. "Don't mind him. He just hates that I take too many risks with new drivers. If he keeps up this pace he'll finish in at least the top 5."

"How's that car feeling Haruka?" Yoshi's voice echoed in his helmet.

"Still not entirely used to it. But it's got so much more power than the old one."

"Well get used to it. Remember what Sakura told you at the contract signing. Finish in the top 10 or find another team."

"Yea, I remember, You don't have to remind me of that. I'm nervous enough as it is." He kept a tight grip on the steering wheel as he moved up another spot.

"Don't push it too early. Wait until near the end to take over the top spots."

"Don't need to blow something early on."

* * *

_-190 Laps Later-_

"Last 10 laps Haruka. 5th place now. Are we going for 1st?"

"You bet we are."

"The 17 cat always slows down on turn 3, use that to your advantage to gain 4th...There you go." Yoshi kept a close eye on Haruka's yellow car as it easily took over 4th.

"Any hints on the 32 car?" Haruka spoke as she started to draft behind him.

"I've seen no weak spots. You just have to use shear power from here on out. I know you can take them. There's 5 laps left...And you're on your own now. I know how you like to concentrate." He removed his headset and leaned back in his chair to watch the last 5 laps.

"I don't think you'll get any further then third. Just not enough time left in the race." Sakura stood from her seat as Haruka took over the third spot. "I'm impressed. I really am."

Michiru breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Haruka cross the finish line, less than two seconds back from first place.

When she reached the garage she saw Sakura already talking to Haruka. "I'm very impressed with you Haruka. Nobody has ever taken full advantage of the car before. Had you used its full potential a little bit earlier, then I'd be talking to you over there." She turned and pointed to the winner's circle. "Next race I expect to see you in third again...or better. I know you're capable. Get yourself showered and go home to rest, you earned it." She gently patted his cheek before leaving.

"You told me to wait Yoshi. I should have pushed it sooner!" He waited until she was gone before turning to his manager. "You told me to wait to the last 50 laps to fun it." He angrily pushed his helmet into Yoshi's chest. "I'll see you next week."

He gently grabbed Michiru's hand and led her into the locker rooms. "Third is still good though, right?" She spoke softly when they were alone.

"Yea, but if I had gone sooner, then I'd be the winner." He smiled down at her. "This is all boring to you isn't it?" She nodded, causing him to laugh. "Let me go get changed and we can go home OK?" She nodded again and took a seat on the bench as he grabbed his duffel bag and walked into a small room to change.


	21. Chapter 21

**_Since you all voted, I had to live up to my end of the bargain. I've actually had this chapter completed for about a week, thinking it was going to be the SOLE winner. I was wrong. Not only do I have this one to work on, but I also have Role Reversal. Anyway, I was thankful I was able to find my original outline for this story. If not I don't know how I would have been able to finish it. _**

**_At first, I was a little upset that you guys would have picked the longest one of any of my stories to finish. But now I'm a little upset that you picked the two most in depth storylines I'd ever come up with. Keep your eyes peeled for the follow up chapter to Role Reversal, with my work schedule this week, due to Christmas, I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to get it up. _**

**_Hope you all enjoy the rest of this story!_**

**_Dr. Brassard in this and further chapters…IS a real doctor.

* * *

_**

**_Guardian Angel  
Chapter 21_**

He sighed as he searched through the website in front of him on the computer screen. It was easily the tenth doctor's site he'd looked at that evening. Not being satisfied with any of the photos of any of the surgeries, he decided to search international. Maybe getting out of Japan for a doctor wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Ruka?" A sleepy voice rang through the small office. "It's 2 in the morning, why aren't you in bed with me? I'm cold." She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and rested her head on the top of his to see what he was looking at.

"I couldn't sleep." He searched again for 'phalloplasty surgeons'. He scrolled down a little bit on the search engine and clicked on a link he hadn't clicked on before. It was a directory of surgeons and photos of their work. Several of the pictures were before and after. Some of them were during the various stages of healing. He maneuvered his way down the page until he saw a penis that looked surprisingly real.

"What are you doing?" Michiru tilted her head in interest as she looked at the picture that Haruka had clicked on to enlarge.

"Looking for a surgeon," his voice trailed off before he turned his head to look up at her. She just nodded down to him. "This is the best one I've seen so far." She clicked on a link that read 'more info' and found out the doctor was based in Montreal, Canada.

"It looks so real honey." She lifted her hand from his chest to run it through his blonde hair. "Are you sure you're ready?" He only nodded before beginning to type out an e-mail to the doctor, asking for more in depth information about the procedure, requirements, and cost. Granted, money wasn't an option for him anymore, but he still needed to know everything.

"I've been ready for years, but now, now I can afford it. It's an expensive surgery. One that any insurance will not cover." His words were soft as he continued typing his various questions that covered all aspects of it. From the length of stay, the number of visits required before surgery began, and most of all, the cost and if payment arrangements could be made in advance. He leaned back in the chair and rested his hand on Michiru's that was still on his chest. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course I will, but," she sighed, "I don't have a passport."

"That's the easiest part of traveling really. We'll take you to get it tomorrow, do you know where your birth certificate is?" She nodded. "Alright, we'll get up early to go order one for you."

"Please come to bed darling, it's cold without you there to curl up with me." She tugged on his hand until he smiled and shut the computer off before following her like a lost puppy.

"Michiru, all these forms need to be filled out." He handed the clipboard to her before taking the seat beside her to check his e-mail from his phone. His breath caught in his throat when he saw a response from Dr. Brassard.

"You okay Ruka?" She leaned against his shoulder to read the e-mail response. After a few moments of silence between them she spoke again. "You should make an appointment with him. How about in October? Your racing season will be over for the year and I'll definitely have my passport by then." Haruka nodded, never taking his eyes away from his phone as he typed his reply to the doctor, seeking to schedule an appointment in three months. By then, as Michiru said, she'd have her passport and the season would be over with for the year. Then they wouldn't have to worry about being back in time for anything in particular.

The consultation appointment would be approximately one to two hours long and cover the procedure in depth. At the consultation Haruka knew he'd have to present two different letters of recommendation from both of his doctors. If not, the lower surgery would not progress any further. He sighed, knowing he'd have a lot to accomplish in the three short months before their trip. His first task, once the appointment was confirmed, would be to book their flight and their hotel room for the week. He already decided that he would want to arrive two to three days before the appointment, to make sure they had enough time to recover from jet lag.

"Ruka," Michiru's words brought the man out of his train of thought. "You ready to go?" He nodded up at her. "You okay?"

"Yea, just thinking of what has to be done before our trip." He held the door open for Michiru as they exited the office and walked back toward his car. "I've got a lot of phone calls and appointments to make."

She relaxed in the passenger seat and watched her boyfriend walk around the front of the car. She waited until they were on the road back to their house before speaking again. "What kind of phone calls?"

He sighed. He knew she was only trying to learn more about him. "Need to call my doctors to get letters for Dr. Brassard."

"Letters for what?" She rested her hand on his on the gear shifter.

"I need my doctors to write out letters saying they recommend me for Phalloplasty. I know they'll write them, but I still need to meet with them to ask for the letters." He sighed and reluctantly pulled his hand away to flip on the windshield wipers as the rain started to fall.

"You're nervous about it aren't you?"

"Yea, a little bit. I was nervous when the time came for my chest surgery. I'm nervous for all surgeries." He smiled softly at her at a red light. "How about we stop somewhere for lunch?"

"That sounds nice, I'm a little hungry anyway." She smiled at him. "I have some news for you anyway."

"Oh, what's that?" He pulled into a small diner's parking lot and looked at her.

"The university called me back about the teaching spot."

They both exited the car, Haruka with a growing smile on his face as they walked toward the front door. "And what did they say?"

"They want me to showcase some of my artwork before they make their final decision." She sighed, drawing a concerned look from her lover. "I just need to create some before next weekend. Takada destroyed all of my artwork when I moved in with him."

"I'm sure you'll think of something sweetheart. I'll help you in any way I can."

"I know you will, that's why I love you so much." She pressed her hands to his chest before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

* * *

_**Had to throw in something about Michiru getting a job, upon rereading the story to see where I was going to go with it, I realized how boring her life must have been while Ruka was at the track.**_


End file.
